DAILY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES FOR THE SECOND SESSION OF THE ELEVENTH ASSEMBLY

Tuesday, 25th September, 2012 

The House met at 1430 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

__________

ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MR SPEAKER

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, I have some announcements to make.

COMPOSITION OF THE STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE

Hon. Members, in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order No. 150(1), I have appointed the following Members to constitute the Standing Orders Committee for the Second Session of the Eleventh National Assembly:

Standing Orders Committee (8)

The Honourable Mr Speaker (Chairperson);
His Honour the Vice-President, Dr Guy Scott;
The Hon. A. B. Chikwanda, MP, Minister of Finance;
The Hon. Y. Mukanga, MP, Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development and Chief Whip;
Hon. C. Namugala, MP;
Hon. C. W. Kakoma, MP; 
Hon. D. Mwango, MP; and 
Hon. M. G. Imenda, MP.

VISIT AND ADDRESS OF THE ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS ANN

The second announcement relates to the visit and address to hon. Members of Parliament by her Royal Highness Princess Anne, the daughter of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

Honourable Members, I wish to inform the House that Her Royal Highness Princess Anne will visit the Zambian Parliament on Thursday, 27th September, 2012. During the visit, Her Royal Highness will address hon. Members in the auditorium at 11:00 hours. We are all, therefore, requested to be seated in the Auditorium by 10:00 hours. This means that on Thursday, 27th September, 2012, hon. Members will be required to come to Parliament Buildings twice; in the morning for the address by Princess Anne and in the afternoon at 14:30 for the Business of the House.

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS IN THE SPEAKER”S GALLERY

Hon. Members, I wish to acquaint you of the presence, in the Speaker’s Gallery, of the distinguished guests, Hon. Pam Roach, a Senator from the Senate of the United States of America. She is accompanied by Mr Albert Munanga, a Zambian citizen residing in the United States of America.

We, therefore, wish to welcome the Hon. Senator in our midst.

I thank you.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

_____________

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

The Vice-President (Dr Scott): Mr Speaker, I rise to give the House an indication of the business it will consider this week. 

Today, 25th September, 2012, the Business of the House will begin with Questions. Thereafter, the House will begin the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address which was delivered to this House on Friday, 21st September, 2012. 

Mr Speaker, tomorrow, Wednesday, 26th September, 2012, the Business of the House will, again, start with questions, if there will be any. This will be followed by debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

Sir, on Thursday, 27th September, 2012, the Business of the House will commence with Questions, if there will be any. The House will then continue with the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address. 

Mr Speaker, on Friday, 28th September, 2012, the Business of the House will begin with the Vice-Presidents Question Time. This will be followed by Questions, if there will be any. Thereafter, the House will, again, debate the Motion on the composition of membership of the Public Accounts Committee and then the House will continue with the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

I thank you, Sir.

__________

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

RE-ENTRY PROGRAMME FOR GIRL PUPILS

1.    Mr Chisala (Chilubi) asked the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education how many girl pupils countrywide were reinstated in schools under the Re-entry Programme and later completed Grade 12 from 2009 to 2011, year by year.

The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (Mr Mabumba): Mr Speaker, a total of 12,617 girls were re-admitted to schools under … 

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member for Gwembe, order!

Mr Mabumba: Mr Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, a total of 12,617 girls were re-admitted to schools under the Re-entry Programme between 2009 and 2010, broken down as follows: 

                2009        2010        2011        Total                
Basic School        5,517        5,034        5,106        15,657    
Secondary School    1,162    1,033    924    3,119
Total    6,679    6,067    6,030    18,776
    
Mr Speaker, we do not have the statistics on girls who progressed to Grade 12. However, the assumption is that those who entered basic school managed to proceed to Grade 12.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, 18,776 is a very high figure for unnecessary and unplanned pregnancies. That being the case, is the hon. Minister not planning to build more secondary schools for girls between 2013 and 2016 as a way of reducing the unplanned pregnancies? 

The Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (Dr Phiri): Mr Speaker, I thank Hon. Chisala for his interest in this matter. From the reply by the hon. Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Vocational Training and Early Education, it is very clear that the basic schools have more casualties than secondary schools. 

Sir, the following statistics obtained in the basic school subsector: 

No. of Pupils who Left School            No. of Pupils Re-admitted

2008         12,370                         4,692 
2009         13,634                         5,517 
2010    13,769                         5,034 
2011         13,627                         5,106 

At the secondary school level, where Hon. Chisala would like us to increase the number of high schools, the pregnancy rates were as follows:

No. of Pupils who Left School            No. of Pupils Re-admitted

2008         1,566                         1,019 
2009         1,863                         1,162 
2010         1,817                         1,033 
2011     1,778     924 

Mr Speaker, it is clear that there is a bigger problem at the basic school level. However, I do not want to trivialise the problem at the secondary school level. We must also be mindful of the fact that the Re-entry Policy is not just for girls who become pregnant, but also those who drop out of school for health or economic reasons, but are re-admitted when they are able to meet the economic demands placed on them by the schools. 

Sir, let me also mention that the Re-entry Policy commenced in October, 1997. This is the right time for us to conduct more meaningful research in the Re-entry Policy to ascertain whether it is working or not. If it is not, what the impediments are. We thank the hon. Member of Parliament for arousing our interest in this very important area of girl-child schooling. 

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kazonga (Vubwi): Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister made an assumption that those who re-entered the school system completed their education. Is the hon. Minister considering carrying out a detailed study of those that re-entered the school system to ascertain whether they were able to complete their education or they ended up falling into the same trap?

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, in the reply that I just gave to this august House, I did indicate that there was a need to look at this issue more critically through a study. A study is something we must quickly consider in consultation with the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in this field. When this is done, we should be able to give more concrete answers instead of assumptions.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mbewe (Chadiza): Mr Speaker, may I know if the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education has any plans of introducing sex education in primary and secondary schools to avoid these unplanned pregnancies.

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, the subject that the hon. Member of Parliament for Chadiza is referring to is already in the syllabus.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: Sir, in fact, it starts from the lower grades. At times it is called life skills, but it is primarily to prepare young people for the challenges of life. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mufalali (Senanga): Mr Speaker, looking at the number of girls who are falling pregnant, is the hon. Minister planning to talk to his counterpart, the hon. Minister of Health, to supply contraceptives?

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, it is not that we are being urged to start talking to the Ministry of Health. The two ministries exchange ideas from time to time. Let me say that the idea of contraceptives has not been found by both the ministry that I head and the Ministry of Health, to be the quick solution to the problems that we are facing, but it is worth exploring.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mbulakulima (Chembe): Mr Speaker, the figures mentioned, especially at the basic school level, are quite alarming. Are there any deliberate interventions that the Government can think of to mitigate this disaster, maybe in line with what is in place at the national level with regard to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS)?

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, there are various interventions that the ministry looks at which it should look at even further. One of them is awareness programmes. Let me also add that most of these problems emanate from the rural areas where the value of education may not be appreciated as much as it is in the urban areas. The second intervention is to make schools more attractive to the girl child. As you know, we are facing a lot of challenges. Many of these schools are not ideal, particularly for girl children and they tend to drop out. Apart from the lack of appreciation of education by parents, these are the challenges that we need to overcome and make it attractive for girls to enter school and make them remain in school for longer periods.

I thank you, Sir.

Ms Namugala (Mafinga): Mr Speaker, we understand some of the girls are impregnated by teachers. What measures are in place to ensure that teachers do not impregnate their pupils?

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, there have always been guidelines in the employment of teachers. The teachers know their status and the professional behaviour that they must exhibit. However, from time to time, we do remind them that they should not fall prey to such vices but, when they do, there are strict guidelines on how to deal with them. That is already in place, except that we need to improve on the actual implementation of the guidelines. I also wish to assure the hon. Member that teachers may not be responsible for all the wrong doings. However, that does not mean that none of the teachers err. When they do, we have guidelines that we use to discipline them.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Simbao (Senga Hill): Mr Speaker, I am trying to appreciate the information that the hon. Minister is giving. However, I am failing to totally comprehend it. May he put it in percentage form. What is the percentage of pregnant girls who dropped out of school in 2012 compared with the entire intake of girls? Maybe, I might understand that.

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, since the hon. Member of Parliament is referring to 2012, I will need time to research and bring an answer. This is because we are dealing with the period between 2008 and 2011.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

EXAMINATION CENTRES IN CHILUBI

2. Mr Chisala asked the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education:

(a)    when the following schools in Chilubi District would be designated examination centres:

(i)    Kabweulu;
    (ii)    Mwape Kalunga;
(iii)    Kasuba Kalunga;
(iv)    Chikwaba; and 
(v)    Kasanda; and 

(b)    why the Government had not acted on this matter, which was first raised in 2010.

Mr Mabumba: Mr Speaker, Kabweulu School has not been submitted for consideration for examination centre status as it does not meet the requirements. The school has a thatched classroom block and no facilities for storage of examination materials.

Mr Speaker, the other schools have not been submitted for consideration for examination centre status as they do not meet the requirements for examination centre status because they are community schools currently being administered by community teachers who are not trained. They also have no infrastructure for storage of examination materials.

Mr Speaker, the Government will act on the matter of turning the schools that I have just mentioned into examination centres when examinations-related security concerns are addressed.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, with your kind permission, may I be educated on the correct procedure for designating schools as examination centres.

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, there are guidelines that the Examination Council of Zambia (ECZ) has come up with. These have been circulated to the provincial education offices as well as the District Education Board Secretaries (DEBS). Guideline 7.4 indicates that applications for examination centre status are only for gazetted schools that meet all the requirements. These are written in the circular that the ECZ sent to all the relevant authorities at the provincial, district and school levels. With your permission, let me lay it on the Table for circulation to hon. Members of Parliament because this seems to be a very topical issue.

Thank you, Sir.

Dr Phiri laid the paper on the Table.

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, schools like Kabweulu are all over this country. What plans have been put in place in order to ensure that the schools are given something that they can keep their examination materials in and later apply for recognition as examination centres?

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, for the sake of emphasis, the school that the hon. Member mentioned is among the 1,570 community schools countrywide. I just laid a document on the Table that indicates that unless a school is gazetted, its application may not be entertained. However, let me say that the big number of community schools is a serious threat to the quality of education that the Government demands from schools. These are poor people’s schools and the Government is aware of this dilemma. Funds permitting, we will have a deliberate policy in place to upgrade these schools because, essentially, the Patriotic Front (PF) Manifesto demands of the ministry to upgrade all community schools. However, using Government funds only, this may not take us a short time to do. We will be appealing to the hon. Members of Parliament to come to our aid using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). We are also appealing to co-operating partners to treat this issue, as well as other problems that we have, as an emergency because we are facing so many challenges. Apart from the community schools, we have schools countrywide that are still thatched and are mud -and-pole. The figures are alarmingly high, and one would think that there was a war in this country for a long time or that there was no Government at all. Our resolve in the PF Government is clear. We will dismantle all these elements of shame in the education system.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, I am alarmed and taken aback by the statement made by the hon. Minister pertaining to community schools. 

Mr Speaker, last year, on the Floor of this House, a pronouncement was made by the President of the Republic of Zambia and echoed by the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education that community schools would be taken over by the Government. Why is it that he is now reneging on that good decision which we, ourselves, almost accepted? Can we get a clear answer from him on the matter?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!{mospagebreak}

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, in his Official Opening Address to this august House, the President indicated that the hon. Member would ask very pertinent questions. I guess this is one of them … 

Laughter

Dr Phiri: … and I am obliged to give an answer. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, the position of this Government is that it will upgrade all community schools to fully-fledged primary schools. That is in our party manifesto and it was also part of my speech to this august House. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: Abolition has its own consequences, as the hon. Member may be aware. If we abolish community schools, where will those poor pupils go? In the meantime, we will temporarily tolerate the status quo. We will later upgrade the 1,570 community schools countrywide. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: It will take a little longer to accomplish, but it remains our resolve.  

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbewe: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education is talking about community schools. Is he aware that in some parts of this country, there are secondary schools that have been in existence for the last five years, and yet they are not examination centres? Further, is he aware that pupils in these schools have to walk distances of 40 km to get to the nearest examination centres?

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, it does not take a genius to know that we have immense problems in the education sector. There are many schools that are waiting for our response to their applications for examination centre status. However, when you read the document that I placed on the Table, you will begin to understand why the situation is the way it is. One of the major demands for a school to be recognised as an examination centre is the availability of specialised facilities, which include laboratories. In many of our schools, unfortunately, we have turned the laboratories that we inherited from the First Republic into classrooms to increase enrolment which, in itself, is a very good thing, but one done at the expense of the effective teaching of science subjects. We are cognisant of this challenge. Given the limited funding that we usually get, we will do everything possible to improve the status of our secondary schools. I wish to remind the House though that the question we are considering is on community schools. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Professor Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister is insinuating a futuristic and hypothetical policy stance. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, he has been an hon. Minister for a year now and there should not be any hypothetical policy insinuations. 

Laughter 

Professor Lungwangwa: Can he tell the nation what pragmatic steps he has taken to address the plight of the 1,570 community schools.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, Hon. Professor Lungwangwa sat where I am sitting, as hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education at one point. 

Hon. Government Member: For ten years!

Dr Phiri: He did not leave 1,570 community schools. I toiled to get the full picture of the community schools. I wish he could congratulate me. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: There is nothing hypothetical about what I said. These are the realities on the ground. This is why, when we present our budget, you will appreciate that, at least, a beginning is being made towards making a difference in the lives of children mainly in the rural areas. We will need you to support us, rather than challenge us to defend ourselves after only one year of being in office when you were in office for twenty years.

I thank you, Sir. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mtolo (Chipata Central): Mr Speaker, having 1,570 community schools is not a crime. It only indicates what people need in those areas. What we need to be told by the hon. Minister is how many of those schools will be upgraded this year.  

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mtolo: We need quantifiable answers in this House. 

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, confrontational stances will not take us anywhere. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Dr Phiri: In the budget that we inherited, as the PF, there was no allocation for dismantling or upgrading community schools. I have said that, in the budget that we will be presenting, there will be a noble effort to start the long journey of upgrading all the 1,570 community schools. If this august House put pressure on the system so that we were given enough resources, we would upgrade all the community schools tomorrow. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: This is because education is the key to the future of our children and we are not satisfied with having this figure of community schools. This figure is alarming to all of us. We need to consult each other on what we ought to do, rather than parading me as if I were the creator …

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Order! 

Hon. Minister, I do not think that you have been paraded. 

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, we inherited a problem and we are going to do something about it. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simbao: Mr Speaker, I heard the hon. Minister well enough. However, I would like to know how much money is needed to upgrade the 1,570 community schools. 

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, I am glad that the hon. Member has asked that question. I have been agonising on this matter for a long time now and I have wondered why we have not done something about it before. We have allowed these community schools to mushroom. I recognise that the mushrooming of community schools is an indication of the hunger for education that our people have, even though they cannot afford to build standard schools. 

For a community school to be upgraded, it needs to have a 1 x 3 classroom block. If you have three teachers’ houses with a single toilet facility and washrooms at that school, that would be ideal. Add to that four double VIP toilet facilities for the pupils and a borehole. In total, we are talking of about K740 million as the amount which is required to upgrade one community school. I do not know what the required amount is in dollar terms.

Interruptions

Dr Phiri: Now, that is the type of money you can mobilise even from your own resources, hon. Member. A little thought regarding one community school would make a difference in your constituency, unless there is none in your constituency because you have done very well.

Interruptions

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Laughter

RE-DESIGNING RURAL HEALTH CENTRES

3. Mr Miyutu (Kalabo Central) asked the Minister of Health whether the Government had any plans to redesign rural health centres by locating the labour wards away from the waiting rooms.

The Deputy Minister of Health (Mr Mulenga):Mr Speaker, the Government, through the Ministries of Health and Transport, Works, Supply and Communication, is currently in the process of revising all the designs for the various health facilities at each level of care. The plans are taking into consideration modern technology, diseases as well as cultural and social factors. Having the labour ward away from the waiting rooms has also been factored into the new requirements.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Miyutu: Mr Speaker, somehow, I understand the response from the hon. Minister. However, I would like to find out from him whether the answer is based upon the need to re-design the health facilities or it is the actual plan which the Patriotic Front (PF) Government is going to undertake?

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, actually, the Government is very much aware of what is needed in order to provide good health services. I have already stated that we must factor in the need for certain facilities in our designs. For example, most health centres do not have psychiatric wards, intensive care units (ICUs) and facilities for cancer patients. Thus, we need to redesign the plans for the construction of the hospitals and other health facilities.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Habeenzu (Chikankata): Mr Speaker, may I find out from the hon. Minister of Health regarding what constitutes …

Ms Lubezhi: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: The first point of order is raised.

Laughter

Ms Lubezhi: Thank you, Mr Speaker. First and foremost, may I congratulate the newly- appointed Minister of Justice, Hon. Wynter Kabimba, SC., who now has a constitutional platform for making statements on behalf of the Government.

Laughter

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi: Sir, I stand on a procedural and compelling point of order. Is this Government in order, under the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to keep on misleading and contradicting itself as to how it wants to govern this nation? 

Mr Speaker, under providential goodness, the system is supposed to be consistent. The point of order I am raising is connected to what is contained in an article in The Post, dated 6thAugust, 2012 which I have here with me. According to the article, His Honour the Vice-President, when officiating at the Bwilile Traditional Ceremony this year, said that his Government was going to fully roll out the Decentralisation Policy by creating more districts.

In the same breath, Sir, I have with me here a communiqué from the Ministry of Local Government and Housing, dated 14th July, 2012, signed by Bernard S. C. Namachila, Permanent Secretary. I will only pick one compelling point from the communiqué which says:

 “These measures will touch on the waiving of the guideline rules in the release of funds from the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to all constituencies. By authority of this communication, NO release of the funds (CDF) will be made UNLESS and ONLY until the council submits to the office of the Permanent Secretary, … .”

I am raising this point of order bearing in mind an Act under local government which talks about centralisation. Is the ministry in order to keep on misleading and contradicting itself in the manner it wants to run the affairs of this nation?

I will lay the papers on the Table, Mr Speaker for your consideration because they have overwhelming evidence supporting my point of order.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi laid the papers on the Table.

Interruptions 

Mr Speaker: Order, order!

We have come back to our usual topic of points of order. This is certainly not a procedural question.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Clearly so.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: I just wish to remind the hon. Members that procedure in this case refers to how the debate in the House is being conducted. That is what constitutes procedural issues. However, what Hon. Lubezhi is referring to is a policy or substantive issue. Therefore, I urge the hon. Member of Parliament for Namwala to simply file in a substantive question so that her colleagues on my right can fully respond to it. There is really nothing procedural about that point of order.

Before we get deeper into our business in this session, I would like to remind the hon. Members to familiarise themselves, yet again, with the Members’ Handbook, circulars and the many rulings which I have made on this subject so that we avoid obvious disruption of business.

Mr M. H. Malama: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: I hope those who have prospective points of order will bear that in mind.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: May the hon. Member of Parliament for Chikankata continue, please.

Mr Habeenzu: Mr Speaker, before I was interrupted by the point of order, I was asking the hon. Deputy Minister of Health to explain to us as regards what constitutes a health centre. What are the requirements?

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, health facilities are at various levels. We have a health post which is at the primary level and the health facility that he is referring to in the question which is a clinic. We also have a first level hospital which is a district hospital. Additionally, we have a general hospital which is a second level hospital and a tertiary hospital which is a third level hospital like the University Teaching Hospital (UTH).

The health centre is in two forms. There is a rural health centre and an urban health centre. At the health centre, there is a specialist while at a health post, there are front line personnel like clinical officers. So, these are the differences that exist between the two.
I thank you, Sir.
Mr Lufuma (Kabompo West): Mr Speaker, with all due respect, I do not think the hon. Deputy Minister has answered the question. I would like to find out what facilities should exist at a rural health centre and not what he is talking about. Could we have an answer, please.

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, the facilities which are required at a rural health centre or urban health centre are what I mentioned when I was explaining the reason we should actually redesign the plans for the health facilities.

Sir, what is required are the outpatient departments (OPDs) and in-patient facilities at the health centres. In normal circumstances, a health centre is supposed to have a laboratory and many other facilities which need to be used to diagnose different diseases.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mbulakulima: Mr Speaker, hon. Minister, you have mentioned a lot of facilities that you are able to put up at a rural health centre such as psychiatric, maternity, and laboratory. We know that the biggest challenge affecting our health services is the human resource constraint. What immediate plans does the Government have to ameliorate this problem of inadequate human resource in the hospitals in view of its plans to set up all the facilities which have been mentioned by the hon. Deputy Minister?

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, I agree with the hon. Member that we have a challenge where human resource is concerned, especially in rural areas.

Sir, when you look at the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan, you will realise that the Government has put up measures to ensure that we have more trained officers at health centres. This is not a short-term project. We shall be able to overcome all our challenges in due course.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

SHANG’OMBO ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF HOUSES

4. Mr Njeulu (Sinjembela) asked the Vice-President when the Government would build houses for the Shang’ombo District Administrative staff who had been renting houses in Senanga District since 1997 when Shang’ombo was accorded district status.

The Deputy Minister in the Vice-President’s Office (Mr Kalaba): Mr Speaker, the Government has started building houses in Shang’ombo to ease accommodation problems for workers. Every year, the Government budgets for the construction of staff houses. For example, the Social Welfare Department has put up a house and an office block at a cost of K380 million. The Judiciary has also put up a house and a magistrates’ complex at a cost of K2, 302,467,760.00. The council has put up five houses for its workers at a cost of K1 billion while the Ministry of Health has put up a hospital with staff houses at a cost of K11 billion. All these are efforts being made to shift the workers from Senanga to the Shang’ombo Administration Centre.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Hamusonde (Nangoma): Mr Speaker, Shang’ombo and Senanga are about 186 km apart. Was the staff really reporting for work everyday?

Mr Kalaba: Mr Speaker, that is a new question.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Ntundu (Gwembe): Mr Speaker, since the PF Government was caught up in the web of its ninety days promises …

Interruptions

Hon. Government Members: Question.

Mr Ntundu: Yes, that is a fact. You were caught up in the web …

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member, do not contend with your colleagues, but with your question.

Laughter

Mr Ntundu: Mr Speaker, the hon. Members from the PF condemned the former Ruling Party, the MMD, when they were on this side of the House over Government workers residing between 120 to 200 km from their places of work and they (pointing at the hon. Government Members) promised to change things in ninety days. 

Mr Speaker: Mind your finger.

Laughter

Mr Ntundu: Mr Speaker, how are they are going to come out of the web in which they have been caught?

The Vice-President (Dr Scott): Mr Speaker, he should wait for His Honour the Vice-President’s Question Time if he wants to contend with us on such issues. Ninety days or 100 days is a standard device in electoral politics where you evaluate …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, order!

May his Honour the Vice-President continue, please.

Dr Scott: Sir, how many articles can you find on the internet discussing what Obama had achieved in his first 100 days? In such articles, you would find the Republicans saying that Obama had achieved nothing while the Democrats would be saying that he has made certain achievements and that more is still to come. It is a standard campaign device and not a promise to say that you would move civil servants who live 200 km from their work station in three months. I am sure the hon. Member realises that perfectly well.

Sir, the answer to the question is that we are constructing houses in Shang’ombo so that we can decentralise, if you like, or move the people who are stuck at the moment in Senanga to that area. That is the answer to the question by the hon. Member.

I thank you, Sir.

CHIEF LUKAMA’S PALACE

5. Mr Njeulu asked the Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs whether the Government had any plans to rehabilitate Chief Lukama’s Palace in Shang’ombo District.

The Deputy Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs (Mrs Kawandami): Mr Speaker, there is no provision in the 2012 Budget for the rehabilitation of chiefs’ palaces.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, the question is very clear and categorical and I would like to read it for the benefit of the hon. Minister. The question reads: To ask the Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs whether the Government has any plans to rehabilitate Chief Lukama’s Palace in Shang’ombo District.

Sir, the question does not talk about the 2012 Budget. Through the question, the hon. Member wants to know when the Government is going to rehabilitate Chief Lukama’s Palace.

Mr Speaker: Are there plans to rehabilitate Chief Lukama’s Palace?

Mrs Kawandami: Mr Speaker, there are no immediate plans to do so.

I thank you, Sir.{mospagebreak}

AGRICULTURAL INPUTS ELECTRONIC VOUCHER SYSTEM

6. Ms Kalima (Kasenengwa) asked the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock:

(a)    what the salient features of the electronic voucher system of accessing agricultural inputs which the Government intended to introduce on a pilot basis were;

(b)    whether the system had been tried in any African country and, if so, what the name of the country was and what the results had been; and

(c)    what benefits would accrue to the Government and farmers as a result of using the electronic voucher system.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr Mwewa): Mr Speaker, the electronic voucher system of input support is a cost-effective business model and means of targeting agricultural inputs in the form of incentives to small holder farmers. The business model entails the issuance of an e-voucher by the programme implementer to a farmer as a bond worth a certain monetary value that can be spent or redeemed for specific agricultural inputs at a local agro-dealer’s input outlet.

The e-voucher platform allows targeted recipients to receive an electronic voucher that can be redeemed at any participating redemption agent. Beneficiaries are linked to the e-voucher using any mobile phone over unstructured supplementary services data (USSD) interface. The e-voucher serial number is linked to the farmer’s national registration card (NRC) number so that only that farmer can later redeem the voucher. Further, if an e-voucher is lost or stolen, it can be replaced by the responsible authorities. The e-voucher platform can be configured in different ways but, in general, the system operates as follows:

(i)    the programme implementer deposits funds to back up the value of the voucher issued to beneficiaries into their ‘client account’, accessible only to the transaction allowed. Beneficiaries are targeted and pre-loaded into the platform for added security;

(ii)    the beneficiary is registered in the system and then receives an electronic voucher scratch card;

(iii)    the beneficiary redeems his/her e-voucher at one or more retailers. The system keeps track of what products are received by the beneficiary;

(iv)    the retailer is automatically and instantly paid up to the value of the product redeemed from the funds in the client account; and

(v)    the implementer monitors information about the beneficiaries and redemption in real time.

The e-voucher system presents a departure from the direct procurement model that requires the programme implementer to procure inputs in bulk from an external supplier and distribute them to the intended beneficiaries at a cost. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock intends to implement a pilot of the e-voucher system for the 2013/2014 Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). Preparations to finalise the farmers’ registers in the selected districts and procurement of the service providers have reached an advanced stage. The selected districts include Chongwe, Chibombo, Kabwe, Mumbwa, Choma, Kalomo, Monze, Mazabuka, Kapiri Mposhi and Ndola.

The electronic voucher system of accessing agricultural inputs has been tried in several African countries such as Malawi and Mozambique but, most notably, in Zimbabwe where it was so successful that it has moved a step further. Instead of using middle-service providers to redeem the vouchers, farmers now go directly to the banks to redeem their vouchers. The benefits of using the electronic voucher system are as follows:

(i)    cost effectiveness in the supply and distribution of agricultural inputs;

(ii)    early receipt of inputs by beneficiaries, leading to timely implementation of activities;

(iii)    transparency in the targeting of agricultural inputs to intended beneficiaries;

(iv)    transparency in beneficiary selection;

(v)    stimulation of agro-dealer development by promoting private sector participation in input supply markets;

(vi)    promotion of diversification and farmer choice of quality inputs and supplies; and

(vii)    promotion of effective and efficient monitoring and evaluation of programme benefits.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kalima: Mr Speaker, knowing that a number of meetings have been held in relation to this project, what criterion was used to select the agro-dealers and farmers, especially the rural farmers, to sensitise them on the pilot electronic voucher system in places where it shall be implemented?

The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr Chenda): Mr Speaker, the pilot programme is going to commence in the 2012/2013 farming season. So, we have not yet selected the farmers. We are in the process of registering farmers and agro-dealers. We are also in the process of having consultative meetings with all the stakeholders. I am glad to report to this House that the meetings have been very productive.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr L. J. Ngoma (Sinda): Mr Speaker, the Eastern Province is a very good agricultural belt, but I have not heard any mention of a district from the province among those that have been selected for the pilot project. Why is this so? Further, how is the criterion for the selection of districts going to change in future with regard to this project?

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, indeed, the Eastern Province is a major agricultural producer. However, you may have noted that we have selected districts that are on the line of rail. This being a pilot scheme, we want to ensure that the system works so that it can be rolled out to the rest of the country in future.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Miyutu: Mr Speaker, I seek clarification on the contradictions given by the hon. Minister. The first response was that this pilot project will be for the 2013/2014 FISP.

Mr Speaker: He said 2012/2013.

Mr Miyutu: In the first response by the hon. Deputy Minister, it was 2013/2014. Now, the hon. Minister, Dr Chenda ….

Interruptions

Mr Miyutu: … is saying it will be for the 2012/2013FISP. So, which period should be considered as the starting point for this pilot project?

Mr Speaker: You have also contradicted his title.

Laughter

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, I am humbled by the award of a doctorate degree by the hon. Member of Parliament.

Laughter

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, may I make a correction. The actual season for the pilot scheme is 2013/2014. I thank the hon. Member for that observation.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Habeenzu: Mr Speaker, is this system not prone to corruption. Further, how is it going to be executed in rural areas that have no computer facilities?

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, one of the major advantages of this system is the reduction in incidences of corruption with regard to the FISP. Under this system, the Government will not be involved whatsoever in the purchase of agricultural produce. Under this system, all transactions will be between the farmers and private sector directly.

As for the rural areas, we are glad to note that most of the country is accessible by mobile phone now. This programme is going to be administered through mobile phones. 

I thank you, Mr Speaker. 

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister aware that food in this country is actually produced by 70 per cent of those who participate in agricultural activities and that nearly 80 per cent of the 70 per cent do not have the privilege of having gone to school. In view of this, this system may create difficulties for those who are not literate?

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, we are cognisant of these challenges. It is for this reason that we have started with ten districts only as a pilot scheme so that we can see how best this can be managed.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Sing’ombe (Dundumwezi): Mr Speaker, I am glad to hear that Kalomo is part of the pilot programme. However, may I know how the people of Dundumwezi will access the inputs because there is no mobile phone provider in the constituency.

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, for this system to work, there has to be a mobile phone provider. So, if there are no telephone facilities in Dundumwezi then, obviously, as we get on the ground, we have to make some amendments and pick another district.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: No.

CONNECTION OF VUBWI TO THE NATIONAL ELECTRICITY GRID

7. Dr Kazonga (Vubwi) asked the Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development when the newly- created Vubwi District would be connected to the national electricity grid.

The Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development (Mr Zulu): Mr Speaker, the Government is using the Rural Electrification Master Plan to systematically electrify the rural areas in Zambia up to 2030. Vubwi is one of the 1,217 rural growth centres identified in the plan. In order to consider Vubwi for electrification, feasibility studies will need to be undertaken to establish the requirements for electrifying the area. Therefore, commencement and completion of the project will depend on the findings of the feasibility studies, the cost and availability of funds.

The Government, through the Rural Electrification Authority (REA), is going to budget for feasibility studies in all new districts in 2013. Already, the REA has written to the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to provide detailed plans on the establishment of the new district centres so that they can be used as a basis for planning the electrification requirements.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kazonga: Mr Speaker, can the hon. Minister provide the House with categorical confirmation that the time frame for the Rural Electrification Master Plan has to be forgotten for now for the newly-created districts? Do we need to follow what is going to be planned for next year and forget about what was indicated in that plan?

The Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development (Mr Mukanga): Mr Speaker, we are trying to review the Rural Electrification Master Plan constantly so that we prioritise the electrification of newly-created districts.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Mbewe: Mr Speaker, may I know if there are plans to electrify Vubwi using the solar system before it is connected to the national grid?

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, a feasibility study will be undertaken to determine the way forward.

Thank you, Sir.

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, in considering the districts to be connected to the national grid, can the hon. Minister confirm to the House and the nation that since Mafinga was the first district to be created, it will be given priority.

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, the question was on Vubwi District and the answer has been provided. As for the other districts, they will be considered in accordance with the plan that is there.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Habeenzu: Mr Speaker, in answer to one of the questions, the hon. Minister said that the ministry was going to review the programme. However, the President stated that money is available for the newly-created districts. I want to find out whether that is not a contradiction.

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, when I said that a feasibility study would be carried out, I did not mean looking at the viability of the project, but how much it will cost so that proper plans are made. We will take that route because that will be the best way to execute any project. So, I am sure all the districts will be connected to the national grid.

I thank you, Sir.

WAITING ROOMS FOR RURAL HEALTH CENTRES

8. Mr Hamusonde asked the Minister of Health when the Government would build waiting rooms for people nursing patients in rural health centres and hospitals, such as Nangoma Hospital.

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker the Government has prioritised the provision of core facilities for the provision of health services in the communities which include health posts, health centres and district hospitals. Shelters for relatives nursing patients in hospitals have not been part and parcel of the ministry’s infrastructure operational plans. The ministry expects that shelters for relatives could be put up by the community as a contribution to the health sector. However, considering the magnitude of the problem, the ministry will consider building some shelters in the 2013 Budget.

Mr Speaker, the Government, with the support of the community and some co-operating partners, has built shelters for mothers and relatives at health centres and the hospital in Mumbwa District. The following is the status of mothers’ shelters in the district:

(i)    Nangoma Mission Hospital has a mothers’ shelter which was recently renovated. The facility also has a shelter for relatives that requires some renovations;

(ii)    Kaindu, Mpusu, Lungobe, Kalenda and Nalubanda health centres all have recently-constructed mothers’ shelters; and

(iii)    Nambala, Shabasonje and Mukulaikwa rural health centres and Kapepe Health Post have received the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to build relatives and mothers’ shelters. Construction works are yet to commence.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Dr Kazonga: Mr Speaker, may I know whether the ministry has a standard design for a rural health centre, taking into account infrastructure such as waiting rooms or shelters for mothers? 

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, the question was about the mothers’ shelter. However, the hon. Member is talking about the design of the health facility. I mentioned that the mothers’ facility was not planned for. As PF Government, we have realised that the mothers’ shelter is needed. Therefore, we will incorporate it in the 2013 Budget. That is what I stated. However, I can give the hon. Member a bonus answer. The prototype plan for the health centre is available in three parts. When you look at the strategic plan, you will see those plans. Be assured that the plans are standard. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Mutati (Lunte): Mr Speaker, the PF Government plans to construct mothers’ shelters next year, as the hon. Minister indicated. Will these shelters also be built at existing rural health centres or it will only be done at the centres yet to be built? Can he, please, clarify.

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, yes, this plan includes the existing rural health centres. In fact, we do not want to call these facilities ‘mothers’ shelters,’ but ‘relatives’ shelters’ because even male relatives nurse patients in hospitals. We have incorporated that facility into the rural health centres.

I thank you, Sir. 

Laughter

Mr Belemu (Mbabala): Mr Speaker, is it Government policy for patients to be nursed by their relatives instead of professional nurses?

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, I assure the hon. Member of Parliament that the Government has looked at the importance of relatives visiting their patients at the hospitals. In the rural areas, the distances are too long for relatives to visit patients at the hospital and go back home. Therefore, we need this facility so that relatives can have an opportunity to wait at the hospital until the patients recover.

I thank you, Sir 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

PERSONAL SECRETARIES TO MINISTERS

9. Mr Mufalali (Senanga) asked the Vice-President:

(a)    how many personal secretaries to ministers had been, since September, 2011 
    :
(i)    retired;
(ii)    transferred to other departments;
(iii)    remained in the same capacity; and 
(iv)    sent on leave pending re-deployment;

(b)    whether the secretaries at (a) (iv) above had been receiving their salaries;

(c)    how many ministries were affected by the changes above and which ones they were;

(d)    what prompted the changes above; and

(e)    how much money was spent on the settling-in allowances for those who were transferred.

Mr Kalaba: Mr Speaker, no personal secretary has been retired since September, 2011. Three personal secretaries have been transferred to other Government departments since September, 2011, while twenty-six have been serving in the same capacity since September, 2011 and there was no personal secretary who was sent on leave pending re-deployment.

Mr Speaker, The ministries affected by the transfer of personal secretaries to other ministries, since September 2011 are Transport, Works, Supply and Communications, Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education and Chiefs and Traditional Affairs.

Mr Speaker, the transfers of personal secretaries were necessitated by the merging of ministries and the creation of the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs. These transfers were inter-ministerial and did not attract any settling-in allowances.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon Members: Hear, hear!

TRAACTOR AND HOUSING UNITS FOR SHANG’OMBO

10. Mr Njeulu asked the Minister of Local Government and Housing:

(a)    when the tractor that was allocated to Shang’ombo District in 2010 would be delivered;

(b)    whether the ministry had immediate plans to construct the 100 housing units which the previous Government promised in 2011; and

(c)    why Nangweshi Market in Sinjembela Parliamentary Constituency was still ran by political party cadres.

The Deputy Minister of Local Government and Housing (Mr Tembo): Mr Speaker, no tractor was allocated to Shang’ombo District in 2010. Therefore, no tractor will be delivered.

Laughter

Mr Tembo: Mr Speaker, the ministry has provided K16.2 billion in the 2013 Budget for the construction of low-cost houses in selected districts. Once these funds are made available by the Treasury, my ministry will consider Shang’ombo District. This will require your full support to be realised.

Mr Speaker, the management of markets and bus stations is governed by the Markets and Bus Stations Act No 7, which gives powers to the councils to operate them. Therefore, the Government has not permitted any political party cadres to run the markets. The council has since been directed to ensure that Nangweshi Market in Sinjembela Parliamentary Constituency is administered in accordance to the provisions of the Markets and Bus Stations Act No 7 of 2007. This is also in line with the PF Manifesto.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi (Namwala): Mr Speaker, in the event that documentation pertaining to the allocation of a tractor to Shang’ombo District is availed to his office, will the tractor be delivered?

The Minister of Local Government and Housing (Mrs Kabanshi): Mr Speaker, no tractor was allocated to Shang’ombo District. Therefore, there is nothing I can say about that. We will not deliver it because it is not there. 

I thank you, Sir.

Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister of Local Government and Housing in order to disclose a figure from a budget that has not been presented to this House. From the response that has been given, ...

Mr Speaker: Order!

Is that a point of order or a question? Should I ignore it?

Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, it is a question.

Mr Speaker: Order!

Would you like to rephrase it?

Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, yes, I would like to do so. 

Sir, the hon. Minister stated that K6 billion has been allocated to the construction of housing units in Shang’ombo District in the 2013 Budget.

Mr Speaker, is it …

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Order!

It is unlike the hon. Member for Nalikwanda. You may want to withdraw your question.

Laughter 

Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, I withdraw the question.

Laughter

Mr Hamudulu (Siavonga): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister informed us that the Government has ignored the 100 housing units that were promised by the previous Government, and that it has embarked on a programme to build housing units in a number of districts. How many housing units are meant for Shang’ombo in the plan?

Mrs Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, as a Government, we are committed to improving infrastructure in the district. As the hon. Deputy Minister has said, we will know how many houses to be built in Shang’ombo when the money is availed to my ministry by the Treasury.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kalima: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister stated that K16 billion had been allocated for the construction of the houses. I would like to know which budget she is working with.

Mrs Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, this amount is in the plan, which we informed this august House about. We are going to spend K16.5 billion on building houses in different districts.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, I would like to hear a categorical guidance as to whether there are no PF party cadres operating in any markets in Zambia.

Mrs Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, it is not a PF Government policy to allow political cadres to run markets. The Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) Government was the one that allowed the cadres to run the markets, and we are trying to stop that.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

TAZARA STATUTORY CONTRIBUTIONS

11.    Mr L. Zimba (Kapiri Mposhi) asked the hon. Minister of Labour and Social Security how much money the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) owed the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) and the Zambia State Insurance Corporation (ZSIC) in unremitted statutory contributions as of 31st March, 2012.

The Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Security (Mr Mbulu): Mr Speaker, as at 31st March, 2012, TAZARA owed NAPSA K333,909,984,700.55. This was in unpaid contributions and penalties.

Sir, the amount of contributions due is K25,015,899,873.49 while penalties amount to K308,894,084,827.06.

Mr Speaker, TAZARA owed ZSIC K43,021,769,988.40 in unremitted statutory contributions as at 31st March, 2012.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr L. Zimba: Mr Speaker, I am concerned that people have been subjected to begging for their money. What measures has the Government put in place to significantly reduce the huge debt owed by these two institutions?

Mr Mbulu: Mr Speaker, the Government, through the Ministry of Finance, has already provided K45 billion for TAZARA under the 2012 Budget. Out of this amount, K20 billion is meant for recapitalisation in order to improve the company’s operations, which we consider to be a more sustainable way for the company to address its debt. Of the remaining amount, K10 billion is for payment of benefits to retirees while K15 billion is meant for settling of debts.

I thank you, Sir.

ELECTRICITY PRE-PAID METERS

12. Mr Ntundu asked the hon. Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development:

(a)    when the Zambia Electricity Corporation (ZESCO) Limited would complete the installation of pre-paid meters countrywide;

(b)    what the estimated cost of the project would be;

(c)    who the suppliers of the pre-paid meters were; and

(d)    how many properties countrywide had the pre-paid meters installed, as of 30th April, 2012.

Mr Zulu: Mr Speaker, the installation of pre-paid meters started as a pilot project in Lusaka in 2002, and is expected to be completed in December, 2013. The project is estimated to cost K602 billion.

Mr Speaker, from the inception of the project, ZESCO Limited has procured pre-paid meters from the following suppliers:

(a)    Zambia Electrometre Limited (Zambia)

(b)    Conlog (South Africa)

(c)    Itron (South Africa)

(d)    Land Gyr (South Africa).

Sir, as at 30th April, 2012, 258,850 pre-paid meters had been installed at both domestic and small power commercial properties.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Hamudulu: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister stated that the project will end in December, 2013. However, I had thought that this was an on-going programme. What will happen to the properties built after 2013?

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, every project has a starting and completion date. Since this was a project, it will end by that date. New installations will be treated as greenfield sites and we will put them on pre-paid as and when they come in.

I thank you, Sir.

FEEDER ROADS IN SOUTHERN PROVINCE

13.     Mr Ntundu asked the Minister of Local Government and Housing:

    (a)    how much of the money allocated in the 2011 Budget was disbursed by the Government  for purposes of grading feeder roads in the Southern Province;

    (b)    how many kilometres of the feeder roads at (a) were graded as of 30th April, 2012; and 

    (c)    whether the money disbursed at (a) was used for the intended purpose.

The Deputy Minister of Local Government and Housing (Mr Tembo): Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Local Government and Housing did not have any funding for grading feeder roads in the Southern Province in the 2011 Annual Budget. Thus, there were no feeder roads graded as at 30th April, 2012 due to non-budgetary provisions.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Ntundu: Mr Speaker, since the responsibility of grading feeder roads in districts is said to be that for councils, I wonder how feeder roads in districts like Gwembe will be graded if the Ministry of Local Government and Housing, which is in charge of district councils, is not releasing funds … 

Interruptions

Mr Ntundu: Keep quiet, you dull hon. Minister.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member of Parliament for Gwembe, can you withdraw that statement. It is unparliamentary.

Mr Ntundu: Mr Speaker, I withdraw it.

Mrs Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, there was no money in the 2012 Budget which was allocated to the grading of feeder roads in the Southern Province. However, this working Government managed to source money from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) for road projects in Gwembe. There are currently many roads which are being graded in Gwembe. I can go and show the hon. Member the road projects over the weekend if he is not aware of them.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, have the DANIDA guidelines changed to the point that funding from that institution can be used for grading roads? 

Mrs Kabanshi: Mr Speaker, we were talking about money which was allocated from the 2011 Budget to the Southern Province for grading roads. I just provided the additional information as a bonus answer. The question which has been asked by Hon. Mufalali is a new one. 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.{mospagebreak}

TIMES OF ZAMBIA AND ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL JOURNALISTS

14.    Mr Mbulakulima asked the Minister of Information and Broadcasting:

    (a)    whether any journalists at Times of Zambia and Zambia Daily Mail were dismissed following the 20th September, 2011 General Elections and, if so, how many; and 

    (b)    what the reasons for dismissal were.

The Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting (Mr Kapeya): Mr Speaker, no journalists were dismissed at both Times Printpak and the Zambia Daily Mail following the 20th September, 2011 General Elections. However, the following four employees were separated from the Zambia Daily Mail … 

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1615 hours until 1630 hours

[MR DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mr Kapeya: Mr Speaker, when business was suspended, I was saying that no journalists were dismissed at both the Times Printpak and the Zambia Daily Mail following the 20th September, 2011 General Elections. However, the following four employees were separated from the Zambia Daily Mail:

(i)    Mr Evans Milimo (former Managing Director);

(ii)    Mr Davis Mataka (former Deputy Managing Director);

(iii)    Mr Ndubi Mvula (Bureau Chief); and 

(iv)    Mr Wallen Simwaka (Senior Reporter).

Sir, on the other hand, the following nine employees were separated from the Times of Zambia and these were;

(i)    Mr John Phiri (former Managing Director);

(ii)    Mrs Mirriam M. Zimba (former Deputy Editor in Chief);

(iii)    Mr Hicks Sikazwe (former Deputy Editor in Chief) (Production)

(iv)    Mr Patson Phiri (Journalist)

(v)    Mr Abel Mboozi (Journalist)

(vi)    Mr Bob Sianjalika (Journalist)

(vii)    Mr Whitney Mulobela (Journalist)

(viii)    Mr Obert Simwanza (Journalist)

(ix)    Mr Richard Mulonga (Journalist)

Mr Speaker, as earlier stated, no journalist was dismissed. However, at the Zambia Daily Mail, the officers in question were separated from the institution on the following grounds:

(i)    early retirement at management’s request for the bureau chief and senior reporter; and

(ii)    termination of contracts in the case of the former Managing Director and Deputy Managing Director.

The House should note that the retirements were done in accordance with the collective agreement and conditions of service.

Mr Speaker, Times Printpak Limited has a bloated workforce. The number of employees was in the excess of 270 in October, 2011. As part of the survival plan, the company is downsizing in order to reduce its overhead costs. This entails reducing its workforce to a manageable level. Currently, the workforce stands at 247 employees. In the course of implementing this survival plan, some employees have been retired while others had to proceed on voluntary separation. 

Mr Speaker, may I take this opportunity to inform the House that not only journalists were separated from the Times Printpak Zambia Limited, but other professionals have also been separated from the institution through voluntary early retirement as well as ending their contracts. At the end of this process, the company intends to remain with an optimum number of employees.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mbulakulima: Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister and I used to interact before we joined politics ten years ago. The only difference was that he was newscaster while I was a human resource practitioner. I think that the hon. Deputy Minister is playing with words.

Laughter

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Mbulakulima: Mr Speaker, is it the wish of the hon. Deputy Minister for me to bring to him the people who were dismissed so that they can indicate that they were dismissed on political grounds?

Laughter

Mr Kapeya: Mr Speaker, when His Excellency the President was officially opening Parliament, he emphasised the need for the hon. Members of the Executive to be giving comprehensive responses to all the questions coming from the other side of the House. What I have just stated is exactly what happened. Hon. Mbulakulima claims that he can bring the journalists to come and give testimony, I will still stand by my response.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda (Luena): Mr Speaker, I wanted to firstly welcome Hon. Kabimba, SC. to the House, but he is not here. 

Laughter

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister said that they intend to retrench some people in order to reduce the overhead costs. May I know if this has something to do with the newly-introduced minimum wage structure?

Mr Kapeya: Mr Speaker, it has nothing to do with the minimum wage structure. 

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kalila (Lukulu East): Mr Speaker, by the hon. Minister’s own admission, contracts for one Managing Director and his deputy were terminated. What were the reasons for terminating the contracts?

Mr Kapeya: Mr Speaker, Section 26 (a) of the Employment Act, Cap. 268 of the Laws of Zambia …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapeya: … clearly states that an employer can terminate the contract of an employee. It further states that when a contract comes to an end, the employer has the right to choose not to renew it. You should read the Employment Act. It is clear.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mbewe: Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting is sometimes my friend. May I know if the officers who were politically separated from the institution have been paid their dues in full.

Mr Kapeya: Mr Speaker, the hon. Member should give me time to go and find out the details to his question. I will come back to this House with an answer. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Hamudulu: Mr Speaker, my question is a rider to the one which was asked by Hon. Kalila. We, the Zambians, have a stake in the company in question.  I know that an employer has got the right to terminate a contract …

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order, order! 

Please, let us not make long preliminaries.

Mr Hamudulu: Mr Speaker, what were the reasons for those terminations?

Mr Deputy Speaker: One of the rules here is against repetition. That question was asked already. 

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: I do not think I should allow it. 

Ms Kalima: Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister stated that some of the terminations were as a result of the need to downsize the workforce. This is despite the PF having a strong policy regarding job creation. How do you reconcile the two?

Laughter

Mr Kapeya: Mr Speaker, the contracts of the employees came to an end. It is the right of an employer whether to renew a contract or not.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mwanza (Solwezi West): Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister has indicated that it was the desire of the companies in question for the terminations to be effected. I want to find out from the hon. Deputy Minister whether there were any disciplinary processes which were followed before the four or nine employees were separated from the institutions they used to work for.

Mr Kapeya: Mr Speaker, hon. Members must understand that there is a distinction between separation and dismissal. Under separation, that is where you have retirements, resignations and retrenchments.  All those who fall under separation are paid their full packages. In most instances, dismissal comes under disciplinary cases.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear.

Mr Nkombo: Mr Speaker, I want to know from the hon. Deputy Minister’s heart of hearts, whether he does not share my view that it is actually diabolical and evil not to renew contracts of Zambian citizens in order to employ those who seem to be in good books with the PF Government.

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Kapeya: Mr Speaker, to the contrary, the PF Government is there to look after the welfare of all the Zambian people. Each company will make its own decisions depending on the circumstances it finds itself in. This Government will not determine how any company should look after the welfare of its employees. In short, we are saying that we do not want to interfere with the running of the Times of Zambia, the Zambia Daily Mail and the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), like that Government (pointing at hon. MMD Members) used to do.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati:  Mr Speaker, by the hon. Minister’s own admission, he has said that he is going to find out whether the terminal benefits for those that were politically separated have been paid.

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Mutati: Is it not an admission that one of the reasons for the separation was political. 

The Minister of Information and Broadcasting (Mr Sakeni): Mr Speaker, …

Mr Speaker: Order, order!

Mr Sakeni: … I think the answer that we gave was clear. There was no political motivation of any kind. When one gets employed, there are conditions that are applicable. Even as hon. Members of Parliament, we have rules that we follow. It is up to the management boards to determine whether a certain employee can continue in employment or not. You have to give notice of resignation and you may be paid three months in lieu of notice if you do it immediately. It is as simple as that.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Musokotwane (Liuwa): Mr Speaker, it has been said that there was a need to downsize so that the company could survive. Concerning the young people who were separated from the company, can I get a categorical answer from the hon. Minister whether those positions have been re-advertised and if people have been hired or not.

Mr Sakeni: Mr Speaker, actually, we need to downsize further. We cannot employ when we are trying to downsize. We are trying to look for resources for separation packages. For those who were at Times Printpak, it is believed that they used to get salaries without doing any work. We need to be focused and look for resources to pay off the excess staff.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Livune (Katombola): Mr Speaker, may I find out from the hon. Minister whether the employees who were separated were allowed to follow the existing ways of appeal if the need arose?

Mr Sakeni: Mr Speaker, in fact, on the issue of appeal, it is up to the individual officers themselves. As far as my records are concerned, they have never appealed to my office or the ministry. If they did appeal to the companies that they served, I am sure they were able to go through the normal regulations which govern the companies and were satisfied with the response they got.

I thank you, Sir.

MATULA HIGH SCHOOL IN MAMBWE

15. Mr M. B. Mwale (Malambo) asked the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education:

(a)    when the construction of Matula High School in Mambwe District started;

(b)    when the construction works would be completed; and 

(c)    whether the construction would be completed on schedule and, if not, why.

 Mr Mabumba: Mr Speaker, first of all, I want to rectify the mistake because I think the question should have read Matula High School instead. If that is the case, the construction of Matula High School in Mambwe District started in 2008. The construction of the existing infrastructure at the school is planned to be completed in 2013. Having said that, obviously, the construction will be completed on schedule.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr M. B. Mwale: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister aware that the construction of this school actually started in 2004 and not 2008?

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, now that we are hearing that the construction started in 2004, it is even more painful for the ministry.

Laughter

Dr Phiri: If the hon. Member of Parliament would want additional information, the school was given K400 million for construction works in 2008. In 2011, a further K160 million was given to the school to continue with the construction works. Another small fact to remember is that Lafarge Company contributed 500 pockets of cement towards the construction of the school. Four teachers’ houses are being built using the Poverty Reduction Programme fund through the Provincial Education Office. Currently, pupils from the school will be examined from Mambwe Secondary School which is about 30-40 km away from Matula High School. For the school to be upgraded to an examination centre, again, let me repeat that there will be a need to have specialised rooms which include laboratories. The delay is regretted, but we will look into this issue and strive to finish this long-running project.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr L. J. Ngoma (Sinda): Mr Speaker, what measures is the Government putting in place to quicken the construction of this school?

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, this school and a few others in the same category will be given specific attention as we present the 2013 Budget.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mbulakulima: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister is probably aware that the biggest challenge that the school is faced with is community participation. Taking into account that stones can be picked 50 km away from the school, is there any effort by your ministry to help the community avail these kinds of services?

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, I am pleasantly surprised that Chembe and Mambwe …

Laughter

Dr Phiri: … are so adjacent to each other that? Hon. Mbulakulima knows where to pick the stones from and so on and so forth. However, just to answer the hon. Member of Parliament, where communities struggle to complete structures, we help by finishing those that may take longer to complete without that intervention.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Deputy Speaker: That was a clever way of beating some rules.

CHADIZA DISTRICT HOSPITAL

16. Mr Mbewe asked the Minister of Health:

(a)    when Chadiza District Hospital would be opened to the public;

(b)    what had caused the delay in opening the hospital; and 

(c)    how much money was spent on constructing the hospital.

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, Chadiza District Hospital is expected to be opened to the public within the fourth quarter of 2012. The opening of the hospital has been delayed in order to facilitate the construction of sewerage ponds which were initially not in the contract.

The sewerage ponds are constructed under a separate contract. The contractor is expected to complete the works within this quarter of the year, after which the hospital shall be ready for opening. Sewerage ponds are put up as opposed to septic tanks due to the high water table in the district. 

Mr Speaker, a total of K16 billion has been spent on the construction of the hospital. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

Mr Deputy Speaker: Next question, the hon. Member for Kabwe Central.  

Mr Mbewe interjected.

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

I looked around and no one was indicating to ask a follow-up question. The hon. Member for Chadiza stood up only after I had moved to the next question. Let us be on time. As a lesson, I will not give you the Floor. You will ask a question next time.

The hon. Member for Kabwe Central may proceed. 

Laughter

CONDUCT OF EX-PRISONERS

17. Mr Kapyanga (Kabwe Central) asked the Minister of Home Affairs:

(i)    whether the Government had any means of monitoring the conduct of former inmates who were pardoned by His Excellency the President on 25th May, 2012, on the occasion of the Africa Freedom Day, and hence released from prison prior to serving their sentences in full;

(ii)    what measures had been taken to ensure that the ex-prisoners did not commit crime again in view of the high unemployment levels in the country; and

(iii)    what programmes were there to ensure that the ex-prisoners were reintegrated into their families and communities and not stigmatised or rejected by society.

The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Kampyongo): Mr Speaker, the Government, through the Zambia Prisons Service, has a programme that monitors the conduct of former inmates who were released by His Excellency the President on 25th May, 2012 called After Care Service. The programme is mandated to monitor any released prisoners under Compulsory After Care Service, as provided for under Section 117 and 118 of the Zambia Prisons Act Chapter 97 of the Laws of Zambia. 

Mr Speaker, the major challenges that the Zambia Prisons Service faces in relation to executing after care services are as follows:

(i)    currently, the establishment is at 1,800 against 1,600 prisoners. In order to improve the staffing levels, the Government has given authority to recruit 600 officers who are currently undergoing training. Given adequate funding in the 2013 Budget, recruitment should continue side by side with adequate provision of housing and office space;  

(ii)    the service has inadequate transport for providing after care services; and 

    (iii)    the service has inadequate funding for after care services.

Mr Speaker, the Zambia Prisons Service has taken measures to ensure that ex-prisoners do not commit any offence through a number of rehabilitation programmes which are handled by the Offender Management Unit within the service.
  
Mr Speaker, prisoners are allocated programmes according to their needs, as identified in prison. Some of the key rehabilitation programmes include Specialised Treatment Programmes (STPs) which are developed and managed by prison counsellors and psychologists who target the prisoners’ criminology needs in five main areas, namely:

(i)    pro-social thinking;

(ii)    anger and emotion management;

(iii)    substance abuse treatment;

(iv)    managing and overcoming violence; and

(v)    sexual offending treatment.

Mr Speaker, these programmes aim at increasing prisoners’ motivation to change through understanding the root cause of their offending behaviour as well as equipping them with the necessary skills to avoid relapse.  

Mr Speaker, there are programmes aimed at ensuring that the ex-prisoners are reintegrated …

Mr Kabimba crossed the Floor.

Hon. Opposition Members: Order!

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order, Minister!

Laughter

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

I think we can give him the benefit of the doubt. 

The hon. Minister may continue.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: … with their families and communities and also ensure that they are not stigmatised or rejected by the society. These include the following: 

(i)    the service has been preparing prisoners for discharge through family tie-ups and tracing;

(ii)    networking and facilitating with other organisations and individuals working in the prisons  such as the Prison Fellowship and Prison Aid Society to provide advocacy and sensitisation of the communities to accept the ex-prisoners into society;

(iii)    Reception and Discharge boards as provided for under rule 114 of the Prisons Act Cap. 97, which includes risk assessment of prisoners on admission and casework and recommending appropriate programmes the prisoner will undergo such as skills training. Discharge boards ensure that prisoners are counseled and advised on how to be good citizens;

(iv)    the Prisons Service has trained prison officers who are designated as prison social welfare extension officers to manage all rehabilitation and reintegration programmes in prisons; and

(v)    the prisons service provides job placements for prisoners with educational qualifications and skills, as this helps to quickly fit them into society and to become useful citizens. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, arising from the answer by the hon. Minister …

Mr Namulambe: On a point of order, Sir. 

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

A point of order is raised. 

Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me a chance to raise a point of order. I apologise for disturbing the hon. Member who was about to ask a supplementary question. 

Mr Speaker, the Times of Zambia of 20th September, 2012, on page 3, reads “Lamba Chiefs Call for Government Intervention in Land Chaos”. 

Mr Speaker, in the article, the Lamba chiefs complained to the hon. Minister for Copperbelt Province about boundary disputes in that area. The Lamba Chiefs of Mpongwe District have appealed to the Government to intervene in land disputes among the chiefdoms in the area. In response, the hon. Minister, Mr Musenge, told the two chiefs that he would work with the area hon. Member of Parliament, Mr Gabriel Namulambe, to resolve the disputes.

Sir, early this year, the Government, through the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs promised all the hon. Members of Parliament that it was going to distribute the maps depicting the 1958 chiefdom boundaries by May, 2012. However, this is now September and there is no indication of when this Government is going to distribute the maps, and yet we are asked to help resolve the disputes. 

Is this Government in order not to have distributed the maps as promised on the Floor of this House? I need your serious ruling.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: Once again, we have to keep reminding ourselves when points of order are supposed to be raised. One, …

Mr Namulambe rose.

Mr Deputy Speaker: I know you want to lay the paper on the Table but, since I am making a ruling to your point of order, I think that can wait.

Points of order must be made on procedure, relevance and decorum. That point of order, important as it might be, does not fall under any of these considerations.

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: There are channels through which your concern can be raised. You can put it as a substantive question.

Can the hon. Member continue, please.

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, are there any intentions by the Government to introduce entrepreneurship training for inmates to prepare them for life after prison?

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I think that my response was quite extensive and elaborate. I indicated that the after-care services that are provided take into account certain skills that have been identified, which the prisons are trying to impart in some rehabilitated prisoners so that we can avoid relapses.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, how widespread is this after-care?

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, these services are supposed to be available in all our prisons. However, there are some challenges that the prisons are facing. So, we, as a Government, are trying to address those challenges so that we can have these services provided in all our prisons in the country.

Thank you, Sir.

Ms Imenda (Luena): Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister aware that after the release of these prisoners, the crime rates increased in some parts of the country? 

The Minister of Home Affairs (Mr E. C. Lungu): Mr Speaker, I would urge the hon. Member to be factual. Apart from that, I would like her to indicate where, when and how many prisoners were released and how the crime rate increased because we have no facts at all on which to base our answer.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Nkombo: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The hon. Minister wants facts and I will give them to him.

Laughter

Mr Nkombo: Before he gives me his answer, I want to know, in the event of a relapse, what measures are taken against those second-time offenders, as the case was in the matter in which one of the inmates who was paroled on a particular day by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia went and stole cattle at Mr Hakainde Hichilema’s Farm in Kalomo, …

Hon. Members: Ooh!

Mr Nkombo: … and there is a record there. What happens in cases of a relapse, hon. Minister?

Mr E. C. Lungu: Mr Speaker, in 2012, 155 prisoners were released and we only have one case of recidivism. What happened is that this person was brought back and sent to jail to complete his jail term.

Sir, as for that report involving the United Party for National Development (UPND) leader’s farm, I would challenge my colleague to give us the details. If this person has been arrested, we will take him back.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

REGISTRATION OF IMPORTED MOTOR VEHICLES

18. Mr Ng’onga (Kaputa) asked the Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication:

(a)    how long it took for an imported motor vehicle, from the time it entered the country:

(i)    to be issued with a tax clearance certificate; and

(ii)    to be fully registered;

(b)    whether the ministry was aware that unregistered vehicles posed a lot of danger to the public; and

(c)    whether the Government had any plans to decentralise the registration of motor vehicles to provinces and districts.

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication (Dr Mwali): Mr Speaker, there are three stakeholder ministries involved in the registration of imported vehicles. We have the Ministry of Finance, through Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), which is responsible for issuing the Customs Clearance Certificate (CCC); the Ministry of Home Affairs, through the International Police Organisation (Interpol), which issues the Interpol Clearance Certificate (ICC) and, finally, our ministry, which issues the registration document.

Sir, according to the current provisions, all these formalities are supposed to be conducted within thirty days. Ideally, the CCC can be issued upon payment of the tax at the border. The same applies to the ICC upon certification that the imported vehicle is not a stolen one. Concerning the document provided by our ministry, as long as the CCC from Customs and the ICC from Interpol are available, this can be done within forty-eight hours. 

Mr Speaker, the ministry is, of course, aware that unregistered vehicles pose a lot of danger to the public. There is the question of a lack of clear identity of some of the vehicles and, consequently, they are used in criminal activities. Our ministry is trying to speed up the registration of motor vehicles so that this can be minimised.

Sir, currently, all the provincial headquarters and districts along the line of rail, except for Kapiri Mposhi and Pemba, have this facility.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, we do not know of any district that is registering vehicles. We only know of two provinces. Could the hon. Minister indicate clearly when the registration started in Mongu, Chipata and other places?

Dr Mwali: Mr Speaker, we are registering motor vehicles at all Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) stations in Zambia, including all the districts along the line of rail, except for Kapiri Mposhi and Pemba.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Did the hon. Member for Kaputa want to raise a follow-up question?

Mr Ng’onga: Mr Speaker, does the Government have any further plans to decentralise the service to districts other than those along the line of rail?

Dr Mwali: Mr Speaker, allow me to repeat that we have three ministries involved in this exercise. The Interpol Clearing Certificate is currently issued at three stations, namely Livingstone, Lusaka and Ndola, and that is where we have a slight hitch. So, we are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so that it can facilitate the clearance done at our stations in all the districts along the line of rail and most RTSA stations.

Sir, we have taken a step concerning the issuance of the road tax …

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order, order!

I have to give guidance because when this question was asked by the hon. Member for Kaputa and when I said he could ask a follow-up question, he did not stand. That is why I went to the hon. Member for Senanga, after which the hon. Member for Kaputa stood and I gave him the Floor by mistake. Please, take note. Next time, when you want to ask a follow-up question, do it immediately. 

Hon. Minister, you may continue.

Dr Mwali: Mr Speaker, I was saying that our ministry has already taken the lead by decentralising the issuance of the road tax certificate. We are doing it at all the post offices in the country and we have more than ninety such post offices.

I thank you, Sir.

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, could the hon. Minister help me with the registration code for Mongu, since he said registration is done everywhere in the country.

Dr Mwali: Mr Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for Namwala for that question. We would be ready to give her that information when she asks us the next question.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr L. Zimba: Mr Speaker, why has Kapiri Mposhi been excluded from the list of districts offering this service?

Dr Mwali: Mr Speaker, we do not have a RTSA station at Kapiri Mposhi.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, vehicle congestion is a big problem. Is the hon. Minister willing to join his colleagues in the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education and Local Government and Housing who have an appetite for plans? Does he also have plans, today, for dealing with this particular problem?

Dr Mwali: Mr Speaker, we are talking about imports. All the motor vehicles come into the country through the borders. Ideally, we want to issue the registration documents at the borders, as long as we work and harmonise with Interpol which is working on facilitating this move. So, there will be no need for congesting our stations in Lusaka and the major urban centres.

I thank you, Mr Speaker. {mospagebreak}

VETERINARY OFFICERS IN MULOBEZI

19. Mr Sililo (Mulobezi) asked the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock when veterinary officers would be sent to the following places in Mulobezi District:

(i)    Nawinda;

(ii)    Kamanga;

(iii)    Bwina; and

(iv)    Sichili.

Hon. Mwewa started responding while seated.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Hon. Minister, you have to observe the rules. Please, let us observe the rules. Since you are already seated, you can remain in that position but, next time, observe the rules.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr Mwewa): Mr Speaker, authority to employ camp officers in 2012 has been granted. Therefore, the officers will be sent to Mulobezi District, specifically Nawinda and Bwina, which are the gazetted veterinary camps with accommodation, as soon as the recruitment process is finalised. Kamanga and Sichili are not veterinary camps and are managed under Bwina Camp.

Sir, the ministry has recognised the vastness of most of the veterinary camps countrywide and has subsequently made plans to demarcate them in order to reduce them to manageable sizes.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Sing’ombe: Mr Speaker, how does the Government intend to mitigate animal diseases in Mulobezi Constituency as a short-term measure?

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr Kazabu): Mr Speaker, the disease which is prevalent in areas like Mulobezi is Contagious Bovine Pleural-Pneumonia (CBPP).

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kazabu: Mr Speaker, as a ministry, we have an annual programme in which, at this time of the year, we vaccinate the animals against the disease. This year is no exception. Our field staff is about to commence the vaccination of cattle not only in Mulobezi, but also in the other districts such as Kazungula which repeatedly experience outbreaks of CBPP.

Sir, as a ministry, we have established that in many areas where most of our people keep large herds of cattle, there are no dipping facilities. We believe that going forward and, if resources are made available to the ministry, we should deliver these facilities to our people. These are some of the measures that we are taking to control the repeated outbreaks of cattle diseases.

I thank you, Sir.

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, the question was on the short-term measures and the answer the hon. Minister gave  was a long-term measure.

Mr Kazabu: Mr Speaker, we are at different wavelengths here.

Interruptions

Mr Kazabu: My explanation was very simple. I said that, annually, we vaccinate animals against CBPP and foot and mouth disease (FMD). For the CBPP, this time of year is when we vaccinate the animals. Surely, that should be an adequate short-term measure. I do not know what other short-term measures the hon. Members wants to hear me talk about. Anyway, we went to different schools.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Laughter

POLICE POSTS IN MULOBEZI

20. Mr Sililo asked the Minister of Home Affairs when police posts would be constructed at the following places in Mulobezi District:

(a)    Nawinda;

(b)    Kamanga;

(c)    Lwamuloba;

(d)    Bwina;

(e)    Kamenyani; and

(f)    Machile.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, the Government has plans to construct police posts in the above-mentioned areas in Mulobezi District when funds are made available. Further, plans are also underway to establish a district police station in Mulobezi in line with its new district status.

Mr Speaker, I know that all hon. Members of Parliament here have similar concerns about police posts in their constituencies. I know Hon. Kazonga will be asking me about the construction of police posts in Vubwi very soon.

Interruptions

Mr Kampyongo: Therefore, I would also like to take this opportunity to inform the House that the PF Government is trying to take a holistic approach in dealing with issues of infrastructure in the Police Force. We must all be aware that we have not invested significantly in the Police Force. Thus, we are trying to start with the training facilities because police posts will require police officers to man them. For example, the facilities we have at Lilayi Police Training School were established in 1955 when we were training probably thirty police officers per intake. Currently, the facilities are overloaded with about 800 recruits. 

Therefore, the Government has seen it fit to firstly invest in the four police training facilities which we have in the country. We will also establish a new training facility where we are going to be offering in-service training courses to officers who are already in the system. My appeal at this time to all hon. Members of Parliament is to work hand in hand with our security wings such as the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), Zambia Police Force, Prisons Service and Immigration Department in ensuring that the new projects succeed. Hon. Members should help our security wings in accessing land where we are going to build infrastructure. We will of course have to start with police posts and housing. 

Mr Speaker, it is important that when security wings go to knock on the doors of hon. Members of Parliament, they are assisted in accessing land because that seems to be a challenge. As a ministry, we are embarking on this comprehensive programme, starting this year going into next year. I thought I should bring this to the attention of the hon. Members of Parliament.

Thank you so much, Mr Speaker.

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order, order!

I just want to seize this opportunity to advise the hon. Members of the Executive that much as your detailed answers are nice or good, sometimes, you open a Pandora’s box.

Laughter

Mr Deputy Speaker: The question under consideration was on the construction of police posts in certain places, but the hon. Deputy Minister went into a number of details concerning district police stations, infrastructure and so on and so forth. Good as that might have been, it could lead to hon. Members on my left asking a number of questions on what the hon. Deputy Minister has said. In that regard, it will be difficult for the Chair to ask for the relevance of such supplementary questions to the principal question. So, bear that in mind.

Interruptions

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, the places mentioned in the question are full of karavinas. The hon. Deputy Minister has indicated that the Government is going to build police posts in the said places in future. Could he put some time frame when that is going to be done.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I did indicate that we are trying to take a holistic approach concerning this matter. I cannot give a time frame right now because we are talking about a national programme. That is why I said that I know that, obviously, everybody here needs police posts in their constituencies. The programme on the construction of police posts will be availed to all hon. Members of Parliament when we start going to their areas.

Thank you so much, Mr Speaker.

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo West): Mr Speaker, a couple of weeks ago, in Nawinda, some karavinas killed a person there mainly because of no police presence. Can we know what the police is doing to arrest these criminals.

Mr Deputy Speaker: That is precisely what I warned against.

Laughter

Mr Deputy Speaker: Now an hon. Member is asking about a specific incident involving karavinas. Had the hon. Deputy Minister not gone into giving so many details in the first place, I was going to rule the hon. Member out of order but, since he touched on such issues, he should take on the karavinas.

Laughter

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, the issue of security in the area the hon. Member is talking about is of concern to the Government. Our police, working in collaboration with other security wings, are trying to put in place some measures to try and patrol those areas as a temporary measure before we can construct police posts there.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Dr Kalila: Mr Speaker, for those of us who come from districts such as Lukulu, the issue of karavinas is very emotive and quite serious because it is a very big problem. I recall, at one time, suggesting to the hon. Minister of Home Affairs that the methods which have been employed hitherto, have failed to combat this problem and that it is high time …

Mr Deputy Speaker: What is your question?

Dr Kalila: When is this Government hoping to bring in the military or, at least, the para-military to try and combat this problem because a lot of citizens are killed by these senseless thugs known as karavinas?

Mr E. C. Lungu: Mr Speaker, the operations of the police are mobile and dynamic. Given their inadequate numbers, the police are always reviewing their operational tactics. As for the karavinas, the involvement of the army or para-military is a matter of discretion depending on the situation and tactics found to be adequate for the task. I would like to believe that at the moment, the issue of the karavinas is of great concern to us and, in league with the police on the ground, we are always reviewing our tactics.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Sianga (Sesheke Central): Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister aware that the whole district of Mulobezi has no mode of transport for his ministry?

Mr E. C. Lungu: Mr Speaker, I think in our earlier answer to the question, we said that plans are underway to establish a district police station in Mulobezi, which is actually a new district. In implementing this desire by the Government, I am sure we will look for transport to ensure that the new police station is effective.

I thank you, Sir.

_________

MOTIONS

MOTION OF THANKS – 05/10/12

Mr Chungu (Luanshya): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the thanks of this Assembly be recorded for the exposition of public policy contained in the President’s Address.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Is the Motion seconded?

Ms Imenda (Luena): Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.

Mr Chungu: Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President came to this House with a clear call to all hon. Members of Parliament, whether from the Opposition or Ruling Party, to work hard in the deliverance of socio-economic development to the Zambian population. The President insisted on the Opposition and the Government working together to uplift the lives of the people and making Zambia a better place for all to live in. 

His Excellency the President presented his speech in a very relaxed and engaging manner so as to carry all of us along from the beginning to the end. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chungu: Mr Speaker, in this regard, allow me to congratulate the President on his brilliant and thought-provoking speech which, in my view, was a well-researched and reality-check paper on the performance of our Government during the last year.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chungu: In the same vein, it offered a brave and honest analysis of the major constraints so far faced and the way forward as the PF Government invites all the Zambians to advise it on how to overcome the major constraints in promoting inclusive growth in our country.

Mr Speaker, in his address, the President covered many areas of concern which I shall now look at.

Socio-economic Affairs 

As observed by His Excellency the President, the PF Government has made a number of achievements in the socio-economic sector, some of which are a well-managed Government borrowing system based on fiscal discipline, …

Hon. Opposition Member: Question!

Mr Chungu: … stable exchange rate and increased private-sector trading and investment. 

In this regard, the Government, on 18th May, 2012, issued Statutory Instrument No. 33 of 2012, which prohibits the quoting, paying or demanding to pay or receiving foreign currency as legal tender for goods, services or any other domestic transaction. This is in defence of the sovereignty of our national currency.

His Excellency the President also stated that the Government is still determined to improve on the macro-economic parameters. In this regard, to ensure sustainable higher growth rates, the Government has continued releasing funds allocated to ministries in time. 

Hon. Opposition Member: Question!

Mr Chungu: This is to ensure the successful implementation of various projects being undertaken by the Government. This is a big achievement for the PF Government which had also embarked upon the process of establishing a wide monitoring and evaluation system which will enhance resource allocation and monitor policy performance.

Mr Speaker, the President noted that despite these achievements, the country still faces challenges in various sectors and that the poverty levels still remain unacceptably high, especially in rural areas. There is also high unemployment among the youths while the shortage of electricity has continued to have a negative impact on the country’s economic performance.

Mr Speaker, in view of these challenges, the President stated that the Government will continue to maintain strong fiscal prudence so as to ensure that resources are used wisely. Further, the Government will curtail none priority expenditures to focus on key programmes aimed at reducing poverty and creating employment.

National Budget

Mr Speaker, the President indicated that the 2013 National Budget will be the first under the direction of the PF Government. In this regard, the President emphasised that the Budget will focus on key strategic areas of education, health, agriculture, local government and housing and improved governance with a special social focus on rural development which will require resource mobilisation. For this reason, the President expressed the need to enhance Government revenue by reviewing the tax system. Further, the Government will also focus on reducing tax evasion and leakages by strengthening the framework for granting fiscal incentives and enhancing audit trails.

Education Development

Mr Speaker, the President emphasised that without education, we would be doomed as a country. Thus, the Government intends to make education and skills development key to facilitating national development. As such, the Government has commenced the revision of the Education Policy and the Education Act of 2011. Further, the Government is also working on the Higher Education Authority Bill which is aimed at augmenting the work of the National Education Qualification Framework. The President, therefore, implored the hon. Minister responsible to work on the establishment of an educational regulatory body which will monitor the standards of education in the country. Further, I wish to commend the President for his bold statement regarding the establishment of public universities and key technical colleges in every province while rehabilitating the existing ones.

Health Services

Mr Speaker, in last year’s address to the House, the President promised to increase budgetary allocation to the health sector from 6 per cent to, at least, 15 per cent of the National Budget in accordance with the Abuja Protocol. I am glad to note that in his address to this august House, the President informed the House that this has been done and, therefore, the budget to the health sector was increased by 47 per cent. The increase has improved and stabilised the availability of essential drugs in all health institutions. In order to further improve the health system in the country, the Government allocated funds for the rehabilitation of health facilities and the construction of new hospitals. In addition to this, the Government is currently constructing a cancer diseases hospital in Lusaka and will also be installing intensive care unit equipment in all the provincial hospitals.

Agriculture Development

Mr Speaker, with regard to agriculture, His Excellency the President informed the House that the Government’s policy objective in this sector is to achieve a dynamic competitive, diversified and sustainable agricultural sector which assures national food security and increased incomes at all levels. Thus, the Government will establish associated irrigation schemes for small holder, medium and large-scale farming in the next five years and, at the same time, progressively put up to 17,000 hectares of land under irrigation. The Government has also started the process of rehabilitating grain silos and constructing new ones.

Mr Speaker, the President also informed the House that the Government has intensified the livestock restocking programme and construction of livestock service centres. In addition, fish breeding centres are being constructed to increase the stock of fish in the country. This is being done as a response to the depleting fish stocks in the country’s rivers and lakes. The President deserves our congratulations on making such good steps aimed at generating wealth and employment for our people.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Local Government and Housing Development 

Mr Chungu: Mr Speaker, in the area of local government and housing development, the President informed the House that the Government realises the significant role this sector plays as a conduit for delivering services, infrastructure and development to the local communities. For this reason, the President assured the House that the Government is committed to expediting the decentralisation process in order to ensure sustainable development and enhanced service delivery. Further, the process of reforming property tax administration and decentralisation of the preparation of the valuation rolls was underway and will be concluded by 2013.

Mr Speaker, let me commend the President for coming up with these measures as they will strengthen the local authorities revenue base once implemented, especially in view of the creation of the fifteen new districts. The number of districts in the country has increased from seventy-four to eighty-nine. This will lead to infrastructure development in the affected areas and will, in turn, attract private sector investment in the new districts and ultimately accelerate rural development in the country.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Social Protection

Mr Chungu: Mr Speaker, in the President’s Address to this august House last year, he indicated that in order to improve the welfare of the people with disabilities, the Government would domesticate a number of the United Nations (UN) conventions on the rights of persons with disabilities which Zambia is a party to. To this end, the Persons with Disabilities Act has since been enacted. The Government has also domesticated the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Additionally, and to the nation’s delight, the President also informed this august House that the Government will adopt a comprehensive social protection policy which will integrate a wide range of social safety net …
Mr L. J. Ngoma: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr L. J. Ngoma: Mr Speaker, the mover of the Motion is presenting the Motion nicely. The Motion reads, ‘His Excellency, the President’s Address: That the thanks of this House be recorded for the exposition of public policy contained in the President’s Address.’

Mr Speaker, I am wondering whether he is in order to misquote the President and refer to things which the President never said on the Floor of this House. Is he in order?

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

The hon. Member for Sinda has been in the House for quite a long time. He knows that when the Motion says “Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address”, it does not really mean that he should debate each word in the President’s Address. Within these parameters, I think the hon. Member is in order. 

The hon. Member may continue.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chungu: … programmes, including the social cash transfer scheme. 

Employment Creation

Mr Speaker, in the case of poverty levels already referred to above, His Excellency the President noted, with sadness, the high levels of unemployment, especially among the youth. To this effect, I would like to congratulate the President on stating that the Government will soon come up with a national strategy on industrialisation and job creation which will target four sectors of our economy, namely agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and construction. 

Mr Speaker, this strategy will result in the creation of one million jobs over a period of five years. The Government will also create employment exchange services in the ten provincial centres. As a starting point to improving the quality of employment, the Government instituted an upward adjustment to the minimum wage for non-unionised domestic workers.

Commerce, Trade and Industry

Mr Speaker, his Excellency the President informed the House that in order to address the challenges faced by our entrepreneurs in accessing credit and finance for the development of their businesses, the Government, in collaboration with other stakeholders, will consider legislation which will enable entrepreneurs to borrow money from financial institutions using movable assets. The Government will also establish business registries in district councils aimed at simplifying the company registration procedures and processes. With regard to foreign direct investment, the Government has set out to attract US$4 billion in foreign direct investment to Zambia. I am pleased to note that the Government has attracted more foreign direct investment which was $4.7 billion as at 30th June, 2012. This is a reflection of the confidence the investors have in the Zambian economy.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chungu: In view of the foregoing, I am pleased to note that the Government intends to merge the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) and the Public-Private Partnership Unit (PPPU) to establish an individual development commission which is in line with the PF Manifesto. This will enhance investment promotion and public-private partnerships (PPPs). The new entity will also embark on reforming state-owned enterprises.

Mining

Mr Speaker, the mining sector, as pointed out by the President, has continued to perform well mainly due to the favourable investment climate prevailing in the country as well as the high prices of metals. In this regard, this House was honoured to receive the President’s assurance that the Government will continue with the current mines development programme and the review of legal and regulatory frameworks so as to empower Zambians to own small-scale mines.

Infrastructure Development 

Mr Speaker, an economy with poor infrastructure may fail to realise sustainable economic development, as it limits economic opportunities for the people. Therefore, it poses a major barrier to the achievement of meaningful national development. It is gratifying to note that the PF Government, under the Link Zambia Project, will upgrade, at least, three major road projects in each of Zambia’s ten provinces over a five-year period. This is against a background of 67,000 km of gazetted roads out of which only 9,000 km has been tarred in the last forty-eight years. Therefore, the President’s initiative under the Link Zambia project to add another 8,000 km of bituminous standard roads over a period of five years is a welcome move and deserves our support.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chungu: Mr Speaker, let me also make some observations on the railway system in our country. In order to improve the railway sector and construct additional railway lines, the Government’s commissioning of the pre-feasibility study to extend the Chipata/Mchinji Railway Line to join the TAZARA Line at either Mpika or Serenje is a welcome development. However, there is also an urgent need to consider the welfare of the railway workers. It has to be noted that in 1990, there were 8,340 workers. Currently, the workforce is 884. In this regard, the President’s initiative to extend the Chipata/Mchinji Railway Line to either Mpika or Serenje is important, as it will increase job opportunities in the railway sector and open trade …

Interruptions

Mr Chungu: … and investment between the eastern and northern regions of Zambia. Further, the upgrading of provincial air fields will also enhance the Link Zambia Project by easing air transport. I also wish to register my support for the priority which has been given to the on-going projects involving the construction of roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, health centres before embarking on new projects.

Energy Development

Mr Speaker, it is true that energy is a pre-requisite for the proper functioning of sectors of the economy, as its availability and quality determines the success or failure of national development programmes. In this regard, it is important for the Government to remain committed to ensuring that there is supply of petroleum products to the nation at all times. Thus, the Government will continue to increase the fuel storage capacity through the construction and refurbishment of provincial fuel depots. This development must be supported by all of us. The President noted, with dismay, that despite being independent for forty-seven years, Zambia still experiences power outages which distract many activities. In this regard, I wish to welcome the President’s statement that the Government has prioritised the implementation of projects aimed at increasing the national generation capacity of electricity. This will enable the country to meet the increased demand for energy due to economic activities. To this end, the Government recently commissioned the construction of the 330 kilovolts Pensulo/Kasama transmission line and the 330 kilovolts Pensulo/Lusuwasi/Musolo Chipata transmission line. The Government has also been upscaling the capacity at Kariba North Power Station to help meet the deficit. The Government is also facilitating the construction of the Maamba Coal Fire Thermo 300 mega watts power station. These projects should help us sustain both electricity supply for domestic consumption and export for increased job creation and foreign exchange earnings.

Land Reforms and Environmental Protection

Mr Speaker, let me congratulate His Excellency the President on commencing work on legislation aimed at ensuring security of tenure for customary land. This is being done in consultation with traditional leaders. Additionally, the Government will soon establish a Land Audit Commission that will embark on a comprehensive countrywide land audit for all categories of land.  As the process starts, it is my view that rates to be paid with respect to one’s title to customary land should be formulated in such a way that councils should give an agreed percentage to traditional rulers in the same way that some traditional rulers benefit from mining royalties and concessions. This way, traditional leaders and Zambians will be much more welcoming to investors.

Tourism Development

Mr Speaker, let me take this opportunity to congratulate the President on creating a stand-alone ministry, the Ministry of Tourism and Arts, in an effort to improve the policy and institutional framework for our Economic Diversification Programme and enhance wealth creation activities.

Governance and Administration of the State

Mr Speaker, in his Address to the House, His Excellency the President committed the Government to professionalising the Public Service to make it more cost effective, efficient and responsive to the needs of the people. 

In this vein, let me further applaud the President for making sure that the Government completed the evaluation of all jobs in the Civil Service to determine their relative worth. This will ensure that there is a rationalised salary-grading structure. I also support the outcome of the Government’s negotiated settlement for the Public Service unions which resulted in improved conditions of service for the Public Service workers.

Mr Speaker, it is as a result of this that progress has been made in the creation of the Public Service Credit Union Bank which will enable Public Service workers to access reasonable credit at competitive rates.

Sir, the President informed the House that the Government, with the support of this august House, had reinstated the Abuse of Office Clause. As such, Anti-corruption Act No. 13 of 2012 was enacted and is in force.

Mr Speaker, with regard to the media, the Government has, in the last twelve months, embarked on a wide range of policy interventions. Thus, the Government has removed, for example, the excessive controls on the public media. The Government has also accelerated the issuance of Broadcasting Licences so as to enable the establishment of more radio and television stations. The Government is also in the process of establishing the Independent Broadcasting Authority so as to ensure fair play in the broadcasting industry.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chungu: Mr Speaker, these are important areas in our country’s quest to democratise governance and the welfare of our people and the State. There is, of course, a need to do more, but these are the important foundation stones for an acceptable constitution.

Sir, with these few remarks, I beg to move.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!{mospagebreak}

Mr Deputy Speaker: Does the seconder wish to speak now or later?

Ms Imenda: Now, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, it is a great privilege to be asked to second the Motion of Thanks to the Speech by the Republican President, His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata on the Official Opening of the Second Session of the Eleventh National Assembly.

Sir, from the outset, let me first congratulate the mover of this Motion on highlighting the salient points contained in the President’s Address.

Laughter

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: In the same vein, I wish to congratulate His Excellency the President on delivering his Speech to the House in the manner he did.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Opposition Members: In the manner he did!

Laughter

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, my task this afternoon is one of analysis of the salient issues emanating from the thematic areas covered by His Excellency’s Address.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, I must confess that I had some difficulties in this important assignment.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, the difficulties stem from the question as to whether …

Interruptions 

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order to you who are making noise!

Can you give her time so that she can be heard.

May the hon. Member proceed.

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, my difficulties stem from the question in my mind as to whether I should base my critique on what the President actually said on the Floor of this House, which was heard by millions of Zambians out there or on the written speech to which only a few were privy, like the hon. Members of the Houses.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear! Hammer!

Mr Muntanga: That is the speech we know!

Mr Mulenga: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Muntanga: Mulenga, sit down. You are disturbing the House!

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order! 

A point of order is raised.

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, my point of order is based on the procedure of the House. Is the hon. Member of Parliament for Luena who is seconding the Motion in order to state that she had difficulty seconding the speech when she was given an opportunity to say whether she was ready to second the Motion or not? I seek your serious ruling.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

We have been debating the President’s Speech from quite some time back. Whether His Excellency the President spoke referred to the written speech or not, I think that it is in order for her to say what she is saying.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: If you have to disagree, you will be given an opportunity to speak.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: Can the hon. Member, please, continue.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear! Long Live the Chair!

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, because of the …

Hon. Government Member: Ba HH!

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Ms Imenda: … difficulties I had, I was advised that Parliamentary precedent dictates that I should base my critic on the written speech.

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order, order!

Really, I think that whoever advised you may not have done so properly. You are at liberty to refer to both aspects of the speech as addressed by the President.

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: The written speech was handed over and so, it is just in order that you can refer to both the written and the verbatim speech.

Can you continue, please.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Muntanga: Hear, hear! Verbatim!

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, to begin with, I would like to state that the President’s Address to this House, at such an occasion, must set the tone for outlining important Government policy issues, and trigger off serious debate afterwards.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: Whereas some humour is good in the address, it should not be at the expense of delivering the full speech. 

By the way, Sir, and for the sake of Zambians out there, I just want to mention that I did not defeat my President, Mr Milupi.

Mr Muntanga: Is that what he said?

Hon. Opposition Members: Yes!

Laughter

Hon. Opposition Members: Presidential debate!

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order, order!

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order, order!

The rules of this House are clear. After shouting ‘order!’ and you do not listen, I stand up.  The rules are that when the presiding officer is on his feet, we should, please, listen.

We are debating the President’s Speech and each one of us may have understood it in a different way. In all fairness, I think that it is important that we listen to what she is saying and, when the opportunity comes for you to debate, you can rebut what is being said. So, for us to proceed in an orderly manner, we should listen to what she is saying. If we disagree, the rules in this House are that we say ‘question or hear, hear!’ but, please, let us listen. When the opportunity arises, you will also counter.

Can the hon. Member continue.

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, I was saying that I did not defeat Mr Milupi. I stood on Mr Milupi’s party ticket and he was the Presidential candidate. Hon. Members of the House from the Tenth National Assembly are aware of the contributions that Mr Milupi made on the Floor of this House. I have taken over the mantle … 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: … from him. He has mentored me and allowed me to take over from him. One thing on which I would like to agree with His Excellency the President … 

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

I have explained this issue and will not allow anymore points of order on it. 

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: We must debate in an orderly manner. When the time comes, you will be given an opportunity to debate. It is at that point that you will be able to counter. I have made this very clear.

You may continue, hon. Member for Luena.

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, I would like to agree with His Excellency the President on his assertion of my being a giant killer because I killed giant parties in Luena, including the PF.

Laughter

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, …

Hon. Opposition Member: You, sit down.

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, under parliamentary affairs, I note that His Excellency the President re-affirmed the Government’s commitment to supporting the on-going Parliamentary Reforms, which are aimed at bringing Parliament closer to the people. Further, he expressed concern over the lack of discipline in the House, particularly among the hon. Members of the Front Bench who sometimes fail to provide answers to questions asked on the Floor of this House.

Laughter

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, I have experienced this first hand as I have asked questions in the past to which I have received no answers. I am still waiting for an answer from His Honour the Vice-President.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Laughter

Hon. Opposition Member: Look at them!

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, the President’s observation was, in a sense, a reinforcement of your repeated guidance to this House for hon. Members to observe time and accord Parliamentary Business the importance that it deserves.

Sir, he acknowledged the fact that democracy, good governance and the rule of law were essential for national development. However, for democracy to flourish, people should be allowed freedom of expression. The public media seems to be tilted towards the Ruling Party and this scenario often leaves hon. Members of the Opposition with no avenue to air their views and disseminate information to the public.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, besides the failure to penetrate the public media, the Opposition is, in most cases, unable to utilise public rallies as an alternative mode of communicating to the public.

Hon. Opposition Member: Yes!

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, this is as a result of interference in the work of the police.

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Hon. Member for Katombola, the person on the Floor is the hon. Member for Luena, and I think that those interjections will disrupt her line of thought. So, let us listen. 

May the hon. Member for Luena continue.

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, I have in mind the recent example of a rally that the UPND President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, was scheduled to address in Kanyama, at which the Opposition was harassed by the police even though there was a court order that clearly sanctioned the rally.

Sir, in the socio-economic sector, the President acknowledged the need to tackle the high poverty and unemployment levels in the country. He particularly singled out the problem of youth unemployment which, if not adequately addressed, can perpetrate poverty in the country. However, I wish to note that the few employment opportunities created by the Government and its agents in recent times, for example, in the Foreign Service and recruitment into the defence forces have not benefited a wider spectrum of the Zambian community. They seem to have been either politicised or tribalised.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, on the macro-economic front, I note that His Excellency the President and the Government are committed ...

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

When I make a ruling, unfortunately, it is final. I said there would be no more points of order on this issue.

You may continue, hon. Member of Parliament for Luena.

Ms Imenda: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I note that His Excellency the President and the Government are committed to growing the economy at an average rate of 8% per annum, and that this optimism is based on the fact that we are currently experiencing positive macro-economic indicators such as single-digit inflation and decreasing interest rates, among others.

Sir, while we appreciate these achievements, some policies recently introduced threaten to negate the Government’s hopes of achieving higher economic growth as well as winning the fight against unemployment. An example is the recently introduced compulsory minimum wage, which is likely to trigger negative consequences such as pushing inflation rates up and may lead to the closure of some businesses and, in some cases, result in retrenchments.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, the recently introduced minimum wage was not well thought out, did not result from a wide consultation process and did not take into account labour productivity.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, I would like to give the example of China, for the benefit of our colleagues in the Government. Everybody is singing the song of how China is developing rapidly. That country churns out about 18 million graduates every year. They have a policy whereby these 18 million graduates who are young people and still live with their parents and guardians, are fused into industry and the Government and paid a little money, maybe, for their make-up, or … 

Interruptions

Ms Imenda: ... they are exempted from paying rent or electricity bill. After some time, the country has workers who have learnt the ropes in industry and elsewhere.

Sir, I believe that it is better to have a low-paying job than to have none at all.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: Further, the labour unrest that has characterised the enforcement of this statutory instrument could, to some extent, negatively affect the flow of foreign direct investment (FDI). 

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1815 hours until 1830 hours

[THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the Chair]

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, I realise that I do not have much time left. Before business was suspended, I was about to discuss the issue of the Euro Bond.  I want to caution the Government that the money should go towards investment instead of consumption. Further, the Government should recall that Zambia was once a highly-indebted country and the people had to sacrifice in order to meet the threshold that was required by the international donor community to cancel a substantial amount of debt under the Highly-Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. We should, therefore, not go back to the situation in where we will be chocked by debt, whether domestic or otherwise. That should never happen again.

Mr Speaker, I would also like to remind the House and the Government that the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP) and Vision 2030 were well-thought-out documents that were arrived at after extensive consultations with all the stakeholders in Zambia. As such, they should be our national socio-economic guiding documents. They should, therefore, be followed and the PF Manifesto should not come into conflict with them. In fact, even the current macro-economic benefits that we are boasting of are as a result of the implementation …

Interruptions

The Deputy Chairperson: Order! 

I think, it is important to remind each other that, when an hon. Member is debating, we allow him/her to do so in a conducive environment. We know the traditional way of objecting or supporting. We say either ‘Question’ or “Hear, hear!” Running commentaries do not befit the decorum of this House. 

You may continue, hon. Member for Luena.

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, I was saying that even the current macro-economic achievements that we are boating of are a result of the implementation of these two documents. Furthermore, the decision by His Excellency the President to transfer the Road Development Agency (RDA) to the Office of the President is not a wise move, as it is likely to …

Interruptions

Ms Imenda: … bring about corruption, nepotism and a lack of transparency, thereby resulting in inefficiency in the road sector. 

Hon. Opposition Member: Ebanakashi, aba!

Laughter

Ms Imenda: Sir, I wish to commend the Government for adopting a comprehensive social protection policy aimed at holistically addressing and integrating the wide range of social safety-net programmes, including the Social Cash Transfer Scheme (SCTS) and Public Welfare Assistance (PWA). The Government should strengthen the social security system so that it guarantees a financially sustainable pension system to our workers after they retire. To this end, there is a need to hasten the integration of the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF), the Local Authorities Superannuation Fund (LASF) and the Zambia National Provident Fund (ZNPF) into the NAPSA. This should also include the winding down of these three schemes in line with the Government reform agenda that was embarked on some years ago. The three schemes present a combined actuarial deficit of over K16 trillion, with 95 per cent of this being attributed to the PSPF alone. The Government must also address the matter of outstanding pension claims in the Public Service by remitting all outstanding pension contributions. This will enable these schemes to pay off the accrued pension liabilities and claims to retired workers and families of deceased workers who have been waiting for their benefits for years. 

Mr Speaker, I must mention that calls to repeal the National Pension Scheme Act by some quarters of society in this country are not acceptable because the Act states that, after 2000, all new employees must contribute to NAPSA. The idea was that the PSPF, the LASF and the ZNPF should disappear so that NAPSA becomes the national social security scheme, like it is in the United States of America, where there is the…

Interruptions

Ms Imenda: … Social Security Administration (SSA).

Interruptions

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, with these few words, I second the Motion.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kaingu (Mwandi): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to comment on the speech that was delivered by His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata.

Mr Speaker, I am perturbed by the manner and style in which the speech was delivered to this House. It was unprocedural and devoid of the decorum and known culture of this House.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kaingu: Mr Speaker, on that Friday morning, all of us expected His Excellency the President to walk into this House majestically, with dignity and honour, sit on that Chair and read a prepared speech as it had been the practice of his predecessors. 

Mr Speaker, what President Sata did in this House is unprecedented. We have never had a situation in which the President engages hon. Members of Parliament in his speech. He is the fifth Republican President of Zambia and it was not his first time to come to this House for him to have failed to adhere to the decorum or, indeed, the known procedure of this House. The President’s Speech was full of jokes and lacked seriousness. He did not come here to discuss people’s first names.

Laughter

Dr Kaingu: He made the whole event appear comical and mediocre. I must hasten to say …

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

I think a ruling was made much earlier to the effect that we will not entertain points of order. This ruling was made as a result of how we conducted ourselves hitherto.

May you continue, please.

Dr Kaingu: … that the Zambian people are faced with many problems. The problems include unemployment, abject poverty, poor education system, unplanned health programmes and tribal strife. Zambians cannot afford to have a President who can come here to deride the importance of the House while failing to refer to important policies critical to the development of the nation.

Mr Speaker, the President’s Speech is a pacesetter and profiles the mood in which we are going to debate in this House.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!{mospagebreak}

Dr Kaingu: It gives the direction in which the business will be taken during the sitting of this House. Today, I have found myself in a precarious situation with two documents without knowing which one to refer to as I debate.

Mr Speaker, I have with me here two documents. As far as I am concerned, I find the verbatim document to be the most appropriate one on which we must base our debate.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

Let us guide one another. His Excellency the President addressed this august House. When doing so, he was reading from the speech that has been distributed. However, it was not mandatory for him to read every word. Suffice it to say that we have a verbatim report of what came out of his mouth as he was attempting to amplify what is in the speech. Therefore, the way forward is that hon. Members are at liberty to debate what they heard come out of the mouth of the President as well as what is contained in the written speech. I hope that is clear.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kaingu: Mr Speaker, as per the procedure of this House, when the President has finished reading his speech, he hands it over to the Hon. Speaker so that it can be brought on the Floor of this House. I did not see that happen. I, therefore, on behalf of my colleagues …

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

   That was done. So, continue debating bearing in mind that it was done. 

   Continue, please.

Dr Kaingu: Mr Speaker, I find myself in a precarious situation. I am so disgusted that I am going to tear this copy of the speech and lay it on the Table.

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

Dr Kaingu tore his copy of the President’s Speech.

The Deputy Chairperson: Order! 

Interruptions

The Deputy Chairperson: Order! 

May the hon. Member, please, take leave of the House. If you take long, I will ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort you.

Dr Kaingu: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

The Deputy Chairperson: Bear in mind that what has happened will be referred to the appropriate committee of Parliament.

Dr Kaingu left the Assembly Chamber.

The Deputy Chairperson: I hope this is a timely warning. The Chair will not sit here as if he has no powers. These powers will be exercised appropriately. Hon. Members should be under no illusion that we will shy away from our responsibilities.

Interruptions 

The Deputy Chairperson: Order! 

You may follow that pattern if you continue like this. I think we must make things very clear. We are here at the expense of the taxpayers. We must take the Business of the House seriously. I will not repeat this warning, but will not hesitate to follow the example I have set today.

Any further debate?

Mr Namulambe (Mpongwe): Mr Speaker, I want to contribute to debate on the Motion which is on the Floor. I will restrict myself to what I heard on the Floor of this House last Friday. Let me begin by firstly stating the things which I heard. The President announced that the Government would establish provincial television stations in all the ten provinces. May I request this Government that for the Copperbelt Province, which is Lamba land and, since he emphasised on the use of the dominant local language, the language which should be used for the television station in the area should be Lamba. Even though Bemba is spoken on the Copperbelt Province, it should not be given prominence on the regional television station because it is already used on the national television. We welcome this idea of setting up the provincial television stations, but with emphasis that for the Copperbelt Province, prominence must be given to the Lamba language. We are the owners of the Province and yet, in the districts that we have been pushed to, we are the poorest.

Mr Speaker, I further wish to welcome the pronouncement that was made by the President to encourage fish-farming. Indeed, fish is depleting in our rivers and we need to encourage fish-farming. The breeding centres for fingerlings must be increased and people should be encouraged to engage in fish-farming.

Mr Speaker, I was impressed when the President encouraged this Government to spread development across the board. The CDF must be given to constituencies regardless of their political affiliation. It should not matter whether a constituency is represented by a PF, MMD, UPND or an independent hon. Member. Development must be taken evenly to all the constituencies in the country. Indeed, it is important that we develop Zambia for the benefit of all Zambians. 

Mr Speaker, I was, however, lost when the President talked about the integration of TAZARA and the Zambia Railways Limited. TAZARA is an entity owned by two countries, Zambia and Tanzania. By integrating the two, I do not know what we are trying to do. Are we saying that Tanzania must benefit from the railway line that goes to Kitwe and Livingstone? How are we going to address the TAZARA Act? How are the people in Tanzania going to view our proposal to integrate the two when, in the actual fact, we are all aware that if there was a way, Tanzania would have loved to go it alone and do away with us? We cannot afford to do this because most of the assets for TAZARA are in Tanzania. The Government, therefore, should not pursue the route to integrate TAZARA and the Zambia Railways Limited. I think that this would not be in the best interest of Zambians. 

Mr Speaker, I have a copy of the President’s Address which was distributed to hon. Members through our pigeon holes. I read through the speech from page 1 to the last page. I have seen the contents of the speech. 

There are certain issues in the speech which give direction to the nation, but which I did not hear on the Floor of the House during the address. For instance, we expected the PF Government to review its performance in the one year it has been in power and also give policy direction on several issues to enable the hon. Minister of Finance base his budget on those policies, as given by the Head of State. 

One of the most important issues that I think should have been talked about by the President is the Constitution-making process. The speech, which was distributed to the hon. Members, has a page on the Constitution-making process. However, the President did not refer to anything regarding this matter in his address. We do not know whether the Constitution will be … 

Owe!

Power in the Assembly Chamber went off.

Interruptions

Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, I do not know whether in next year’s Budget, there will be a budget line for the constitution-making process. I say so because so far, this year, this Government has spent money on the constitution-making process without a budget line. We do not even know how much money has been spent on this process, and yet they condemned the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) which existed under an Act of Parliament. 

Mr Speaker, this time around, there is no road map to help us know when the constitution-making process will be concluded. There are some consultations which they said would start which we are still waiting for. We do not know if they will ever start. We do not know how much money will be spent. We do not know whether the process will be cheaper than the NCC. We do not know whether the Government has any political will to deliver a people-driven constitution because the commitment to do so has not been clearly indicated by the Head of State. 

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: When he addressed the House on Friday, the President referred to the speech. However, there was no mention of the constitution-making process. How sure are we then that this Government will give the people of Zambia a constitution that they want and whether the process which will be used will yield any positive results?  

We are aware that certain people in the PF circles have made pronouncements that they do not want certain clauses in the Constitution. Whether this guarantees the people that they will be given a good constitution, we do not know. What we know is that certain people are scared of enshrining the fifty-plus-one per cent clause in the Constitution. We are also aware that the same people are not in favour of a running mate. 

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: We are aware that they are scared of appointing hon. Ministers from outside Parliament. We also know their opinions on several other issues. 

Mr Speaker, they have now realised that there are certain clauses that even us in the MMD Government did not subscribe to because we saw the implications in advance. We could not do certain things which they wanted then. This made them be in the fore-front of opposing what we were doing. I remember that at one point they even walked out of the Assembly Chamber, resulting in our failure to make certain amendments. 

These are the same issues which they based their campaign on. Surprisingly, they now seem to be against the ideas they used to champion. How then will the people of Zambia believe that they will deliver a good constitution because the things which they were advocating for are the same things they are now against? This is a fact which we must agree on. When they stand to debate, they should be able to answer whether this Government attaches great importance to the constitution-making process or not, considering the fact that the Head of State simply flipped through his speech without referring to a single sentence on this matter. It is a clear indication that he did not agree with all the contents of this speech which was distributed to us. 

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, if he truly agreed with the contents of this speech regarding the constitution-making process he, at least, should have made reference to them. However, he did not. 

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: Therefore, what are they going to tell us to make us believe that the process will deliver to us a constitution at the end of the day? Besides, there is an end to every journey. You must know where you are coming from, where you are going and what you are going to see. 

Mr Speaker, yes, the people who were appointed as technical experts to draft the Constitution are good men of this land. However, one wonders whether their sweat will be appreciated. This is going to be a more costly exercise than we anticipated. 

Hon. Government Members: Question!

 Mr Namulambe: We doubt whether the people of Zambia will be given a constitution. I am sure that the people out there who listened to the President’s Speech wanted to hear about the constitution-making process. However, nothing was said about it. 

Just after the speech, there were some Reverends outside the House who were asking me, “Did you hear anything about the Constitution?” Then I said, “Aah, maybe, I was dozing because I did not hear anything.”

Mr D. Mwila: Question!

Interruptions

Mr Namulambe: I thought I was the only one who did not hear anything on the Constitution. So, I had to ask my colleagues around, “Did you hear anything about the Constitution-making process?” Unfortunately, no one heard anything. Let this Government give us a proper roadmap on the constitution-making process.

Mr Speaker, I know that, sometimes, it may be difficult to have a referendum because of the many issues that have been introduced in the Bill of Rights. However, there is no harm in this Government giving hope to the people of Zambia by making amendments to the most popular clauses that are needed by the people, for instance, the fifty per cent-plus-one clause, the running mate clause and those other popular clauses that the people of Zambia want. They can bring them to the table even before the referendum is held, since I know that they are scared of the cost implications, which we agree with. However, let them bring the most popular clauses which they also advocated for.

I have just come from Mpongwe today. I had prepared all The Post newspaper articles where they advocated for certain clauses to be put in the Constitution. Alas, I was late and I forgot to bring these papers.

Mr Speaker, the speech by the President did not give us the proper direction in which the country is going. It is from that speech …

Hon. Government Member: Question!

Mr Namulambe: … that we are able to see hope, but we do not know even what is to be expected in the Budget Speech by the hon. Minister of Finance. I do not know what the budget analysts or the people who prophesy what is expected in the Budget are going to say or expect to be in the Budget. It will be very difficult for them to do so because the President’s Speech did not give direction on what is expected. Maybe, I should say the President did not refer to most of the contents in the written speech because he did not agree with some of them.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: What I know, Mr Speaker, is that all the ministries contribute to the President’s Speech for the Official Opening of Parliament. Also, all the provinces submit what they have done and what they intend to do for the following year so that it is included in the President’s Speech, but we did not see that. Maybe, the President was so upset that he did not agree with the contents of the written speech.

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Namulambe: I have difficulty understanding or even accepting this speech which was distributed to us. It is more or less like a certificate which has been printed in Matero.

Laughter

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: Maybe, there were three speeches that were supposed to be prepared for the President to choose from, but we were given the wrong one. However, if this was the same speech that the President also had, I have difficulty believing it. I would have loved the speech which the President handed over to the Speaker to have been photocopied and distributed to us. Maybe, that could have been the right document and not the one that we were given ...

Laughter

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear! Hammer!

Mr Namulambe: … because …

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

The Speech which has been circulated is the exact one that was given to the Hon. Speaker.

You can continue, hon. Member. 

Mr Namulambe: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have difficulty believing this because there is nothing in it on the Constitution-making process.

Laughter

Mr Namulambe: If the Constitution-making process was in the speech or was mentioned by the President in this House, I would have believed that this is the correct document.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Laughter

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapyanga (Kabwe Central): Mr Speaker, I thank you most sincerely for this opportunity to debate the speech on the Official Opening of the Second Session of the Eleventh National Assembly by His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, President of the Republic of Zambia, on Friday, 21st September, 2012.

Sir, I also wish to thank the President for the good speech which covered most of the key areas that have to be addressed if this country has to move forward.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapyanga: On the issue of by-elections, Mr Speaker, I also wish to join the President in congratulating the seven hon. Members who emerged winners in the by-elections. Let me, however, register my disappointment with the violence that characterised some of the by-elections and also at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, a day after the President emphasised the need to exercise self restraint and tolerance. 

Mr Speaker, on Parliamentary Affairs, I echo the President’s sentiments with regard to the way the business was handled by you, Mr Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, Deputy Chairperson of the Committees of the Whole House, Chairpersons of the whole parliamentary sessions and select committees, His Honour the Vice-President, Leader of Government Business in the House, the Clerk and your support staff and the impartial and wonderful way you executed your duties.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapyanga: Sir, let me note that all this happened because hon. Members worked together despite their diverse political representation. This reaffirms the democratic practices and experience by the House.

Mr M. H. Malama: Nabalesha, ifyo!

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, as much as I appreciate the progress being made at our constituency offices, there is a need to speed up the allocation of motor bikes to improve the transport situation.

The Deputy Chairperson: Hon. Member, I hope you are referring to your copious notes …

Laughter

Mr Kapyanga: Yes!

The Deputy Chairperson: … and not reading a speech.

You may continue if you are just referring to your notes.

Laughter

Mr Kapyanga: That is what I am doing, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Mwaume!

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, as much as I appreciate the progress being made at our constituency offices, there is a need to speed up the allocation of bicycles and motor bikes to improve the transport situation. There is also a need to replace the computers which keep breaking down. 

Sir, on socio-economic affairs, I wish to state that the high rate of youth unemployment and high poverty levels continue to haunt my constituency. Nevertheless, the Government has made strides by showing its commitment to meet the expectations through the release of the CDF.

Hon. Opposition Members: Where?

Mr Kapyanga: I, therefore, urge the Government to put measures in place that would remove the bureaucracies in accessing these funds.

Mr Speaker, the decreasing interest rates and single digit inflation are factors that create hope in our economy.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapyanga: This will attract and encourage both local and international investment which will create employment in various key sectors of the economy, hence poverty levels will be reduced.

Mr Speaker, there is a Zambian who once worked for Zambia-China Mulungushi Textiles (ZCMT) in Kabwe and has since employed 6,000 people in China. This man, Mr Enock Mundia, expressed concern at the high interest rates obtaining in the country, which made him and his brother not to invest in Zambia. I am trying to re-affirm the need for lower interest rates. The man comes from my Constituency, Kabwe Central, ...

The Deputy Chairperson of Committees: Order!

Just address the Speaker. Do not respond to people who are debating while seated. 

You may continue

Mr Kapyanga: … which is in dire need of jobs. I, therefore, implore the hon. Minister of Finance to critically look at means of lowering the high interest rates of Zambian banks.

Sir, the budget execution continues to improve. That is how good the PF Government is. The process of establishing a Government-wide monitoring and evaluation system, which the President spoke about, is key and will show whether public funds went towards the intended purpose.

Mr Speaker, the famous launch of the 8,000 km Link Zambia Project is a step that the Government is making to try and reduce poverty …

The Deputy Chairperson of Committees: Order!

The hon. Member on the Floor is advised to face the Speaker instead of looking down. That is why some hon. Members think that he is reading the speech. 

Continue, but face me.

Laughter

Mr Kapyanga: … through job creation. 

Sir, the 2013 National Budget is under the direction of the PF Government and is anxiously awaited by the Zambian people. That is why people have seen and experienced change in a short time. The 2013 Budget will bring hope in this country, especially that it will be a pro-poor budget.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, with emphasis …

Interruptions

The Deputy Chairperson of Committees: Order, order!

Hon. Members, I am very keen to follow the debate of the hon. Member on the Floor. While I know that you have the right to consult, as you do so, bear in mind that I am interested in following every word, although the hon. Member continues to debate while looking down. Allow the hon. Member to debate freely. I know that he is looking down because you are interjecting. So, you are interfering his manner his debate. Allow him to debate. 

On points of order, there was a ruling I made earlier to the effect that in light of the manner in which we conducted ourselves, which was not allowing the hon. Member on the Floor to debate, an order was made that we will not allow points of order. So, for today, that is the ruling. 

Hon. Kapyanga, you may continue.

Mr Kapyanga: Thank you, Mr Speaker. 

Sir, the establishment of a regulatory framework that will ensure conformity with acceptable national and international educational standards is key as it will enable Zambian graduates to favourably compete on the globe.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, the transformation of some of the colleges into universities, especially Kwame Nkrumah University in Kabwe, will further create jobs as more lecturers and general workers will be needed. It is important for this to be done because it will further improve the economic status of Kabwe. 

Mr Speaker, the construction of various trades training institutes by the Government entails that more youths will acquire skills and is a clear indication that the PF is following its manifesto.

Sir, the review of the curriculum could not come at a better time than now when we have unacceptably high unemployment levels because it can help youths to be self-employed after training.

The Deputy Chairperson of Committees: Is the hon. Member referring to sketch notes or reading? 

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, …

The Deputy Chairperson of Committees: Order, order!

You are supposed to refer to sketch notes, not read. It is not your maiden speech. So, please, take that into account because the Chair has noted that three-quarters of the time, you are reading, rather than addressing the Chair. The reasonable inference is that you are reading. So, desist from reading. You know what you wrote there. 

Please, continue to debate.

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, the massive recruitment that the Government is undertaking, especially in the health sector, is a clear indication that it is positioned for the effective delivery of good health services.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, to re-affirm this, I would like to state that Kabwe General Hospital is one of the health institutions that have received intensive care units, which has since been installed. This is a plus for the PF Government.

Sir, agricultural development is critical as evidenced by the need for a good maize-marketing system. This Government is, therefore, putting in place measures that will ensure that the revision of the Food Reserve Agency Act effectively attracts the participation of the private sector. The promotion of commercial fish farming will further create jobs. I think that this Government deserves a pat on the back.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, on local government, decentralisation has already taken root. There are various seminars and workshops that the Ministry of Local Government and Housing has conducted, which is a clear indication that the Government is moving in the right direction.

Sir, the creation of fifteen districts is another clear indication that this Government is taking governance to the people, and that it wants wider participation. This shows how democratic this Government is.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, this Government has scored a first in employment creation. Look at the way it handled the issue of the Railway Systems of Zambia. The retrieval of the railway network and handing it over to Zambia Railways is a clear indication of the Government’s seriousness.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, if you remember quite well, at one time, the railway service was about to be taken away from the Railway Systems of Zambia, but what had happened is that the Government, at that time, debated and decided not to revoke the concession agreement. However, what has happened now is a clear indication of a landmark decision that the Government has taken through its President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapyanga: He is a bold and courageous President.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapyanga: He is a President who will go down in history as someone who always stood his ground. He has retrieved our railway system from foreign hands and now the railway industry is earmarked for a big boom, …

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapyanga: … especially that there will be an injection from the funds Zambia will raise from the Eurobonds we have just issued.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

The Deputy Chairperson: Order, order!

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, may I further emphasise that on commerce and industry, this Government has scored another first.  We have established a one-stop shop for the registration of companies. As a result, there has been an increase in the registration of companies and the establishment of industries. 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear! Hammer!

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, as regards infrastructure development, there are various achievements that this Government has made. It is only that when you are doing certain things, some people choose to blind themselves from what is happening. The 8,000 km Link Zambia Project which has just been launched clearly indicates that this Government is moving forward.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, there is a lot of infrastructure which is currently being put up. The Government is building schools, universities, hospitals and other health facilities. You people, what do you want (pointing at hon. Opposition Members)?

Laughter

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, on energy development, there is so much to talk about. There are new developments at Kafue Gorge, Itezhi-tezhi, and Indeni Petroleum Refinery. This is adding value to the industry. Bigger tanks have been installed at the oil plant in Ndola for better fuel storage in this country. I think in future we will have no problems regarding petroleum. What more do you want (pointing across the Floor)?

Laughter

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, I think the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a big task to market Zambia to the outside world on issues of an economic, political, cultural and environmental nature as well as our riches in minerals. This ministry must ensure that this country is doing things in line with global changes.

Mr Speaker, as I conclude, I salute His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata. I also thank the PF Government for keeping the hopes of Zambians alive for a better Zambia.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

ADJOURNMENT

The Vice-President (Dr Scott): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

Questions put and agreed to.

_______________ 

The House adjourned at 1726 hours until 1430 hours on Wednesday, 26thSeptember, 2012.

APPENDIX TO QUESTION 2